Millennial Witness
by Haze Tax
Summary: It has been one millennium since the times of Link in the land of Hyrule. Many things have changed both technologically and socially, but now as a new evil threatens the modern city, will there be a hero to rise up against it?
1. Forgetfulness

Disclaimer: I don't on Zelda…the end.

Note: All the human-like characters in the games were never specified as a certain species other than Hylian, but since this story involves other territories that weren't included in the games, the characters in this fic are going to refer to themselves as elfin. A kinda hybrid between the two species of man and elf. And, when you are reading this, imagine that the areas of land are a lot bigger. Yah…um that's about it. If any of that bothers you for some reason…well um…sorry? 

Oh yah, and just to warn you, this chapter is VERY long and can be boring at times, but just bear with me because this is the beginning and there are a lot of things I need to get in there. Sooo, I will not bore you any further….

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Millennial Witness Haze Tax 

_Intro_ Thousands of years have passed since the time of Kings and Queens in the land, no longer known as Hyrule. Technological Intelligence is growing ever stronger and the adventures of Link, the boy of legend, are now nothing but myths and ancient folklore told to children. And now, as a new evil threatens the world, will there be a hero to rise up against it? Or are those times nothing but the past? 

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**_Chapter One_**_ Forgetfulness_

_"Link…Link, please help me!"_

_"Link, can you hear me?"_

_"Watch out, Link!"_

_"Link, Listen!"_

_"Hurry, Link!"_

_"Link, I knew you'd come back."_

_"Link…Thou art courageous…"_

~~~~~~~~~~~

"LINK!!! Good heavens boy, wake up! Its already 3:00, your going to be late for work _again_!!!" shouted an anxious woman from the outside of the bedroom door, jolting Link from his not so peaceful slumber..

"Huh-when-?" mumbled the exhausted boy who was now pulling himself unhappily from underneath a pile of untidy blankets. 

He had had the weirdest dream…but he couldn't remember what it was about. He hated it when he couldn't remember his dreams because it always nagged at his mind for the rest of the day, or at least until he could remember it.

"Link, come now, do I have to drag you out of there myself and toss you out the front door like last time?" the woman called again, but relaxing a bit at hearing that her nephew was now awake and semi conscious. 

"Wha-?" Oh! No, Aunt Penda!" he refuted, instantly springing out of bed at his Aunts proposal. "No, I'm coming right now!" Despite the fact that he had been up practically all night finishing his homework, he still had to wake at the crack of dawn for his job at the Flanders Fishing Company, and the remembrance of being thrown out the front door into the public hallway, with nothing on but a pair of boxers was good enough a reason for him to obey his aunt. 

"Good to hear it," she muttered sarcastically while rolling her eyes in impatience "By the way, I went down and got some bread rolls from the Cafeteria, they're sitting on the kitchen table." Penda was a scientist of the Lake Hylia Research Center and was a terrible cook so she seldom conjured her own meals…to Links relief. He had had more than enough experiences with his aunts cooking to be thankful for the Center's cafeteria on the 3rd floor. "Be sure to grab one before you leave, you shouldn't go without eating some breakfast." And with that she descended the staircase that lead into the kitchen and began organizing her files that she needed for work.

Meanwhile, Link was clumsily tripping over various items in his room, desperately trying to locate all of the things he needed for his day, but to no avail. It was quite dark in his room, making it hard for him to successfully find all his belongings. Link's room had no windows so the only source of light he had was a small red lamp on his bedside table. This troubled him deeply for he had an utter fear of the dark…but he would never admit it. Admitting to fear was admitting to weakness and Link was not about to do that. Hastily making his way over to the lamp, he turned it on and let the luminous rays of light chase out the dark shadows that had congregated in the corners of his room during the night. He took a moment to admire the hypnotizing glow the lamp gave off. Link finally snapped out of his stupor and continued on his rampant search for his belongings. 

After he managed to round up his possessions, which was truly an act of the goddesses for his room resembled that of a battle field, he reached for whichever articles of clothing that were visible through the many layers of papers and dirty clothes scattered across his exceedingly cluttered floor. This was generally how he dressed _every_ morning, pulling on whatever was closest to him on the floor, whether it be dirty or not. In this case it happened to be a green long sleeved shirt, which he rolled up to his elbows so as not to reveal the frayed edges, a pair of ragged denim trousers with a dirty brown belt to match, and of course his old floppy green hat that he never left his room without. _Ready. _Not taking a moment longer to even check his appearance in the mirror, Link hurriedly tugged on his clothing, burst through his bedroom door and ran out into the hall, momentarily tripping over his trousers as he tried to pull them up.

With not a moment to spare he reached the bottom of the staircase and entered the kitchen where he was greeted by his Aunt Penda who was now leisurely sitting at the kitchen table drinking from a mug of hot coffee and reading from Hylia's most popular newspaper, _The Gossip Stone_. 

"Well, good morning to you Sleepy head," she cooed, "You just might be on time for work today. Astonishing." Link laughed. Penda often teased him but it was out of adoration and he knew it. She didn't have any of her own children. She was to busy to even go meet any guys.

"I wasn't expecting you to get ready that fast," she continued, "I suppose you have time to sit and have some breakfast with your old auntie, now don't you?" She then pulled up a chair and motioned for Link to sit.

"Okay," he replied looking at his watch to check the time, "I have a few minutes." Link then complied with his aunt's wishes and took a seat across from her, grabbing a bread roll as he did so. On an average morning Link rarely ate anything for breakfast and went strait to work hungry, which explained his lean figure. Penda then put down her paper, removed her reading glasses and looked up at Link expectantly.

"Sooo," she began, sitting up strait as she often did before embarking on a long and tedious conversation. Link cringed inwardly, she probably wanted him to go run an errand or something. "About your Birthday…" 

Link looked up in surprise. He had totally forgotten about his birthday! In between his work at Flanders Fishery and school he didn't even have time to think of it. He was to be turning 15 years old and he had _forgotten!_ He never forgot ANYTHING…EVER! He must be sick or something.How could he forget that it was legal for him to drive an automobile and get into pubs now! Not that he really wanted to. He had always been strange like that, not really caring to do what other boys did.

"Um, yes," he responded, trying not to sound to excited. He knew that they weren't that wealthy and that it was hard for his aunt to afford to buy him a nice gift, so every year when his birthday rolled around Link always tried to give his aunt the impression that he didn't want anything, so as not to make her go to the trouble.

She stared at him in disbelief. 

"What do you mean, '_Um, yes! _Don't you want anything-" she paused for a climactic effect, letting her words sink in "…Special?" she finished. 

"No, Aunt Penda…I don't need anything…" Link was bewildered; he had never seen his aunt so ready to spend money. Sure she always asked him what he wanted for his Birthday, but never with such enthusiasm. She was hiding something…He stopped buttering his roll and looked up.

She was still grinning…

This was enough. 

"Okay, Aunt Penda!" he blurted out, "What's your secret?" Penda's smile broadened. Leaning forward slightly in her chair she placed her delicate hands over his own and looked him directly in the eye.

"Link, I've just been informed that I have been appointed head scientist of the Center's newest project!" she cheered, "This is what we've been waiting for! We don't have to live in this ragged old flat any more, we're going to move into the observatory on the top floor, sure we still wont have our own bathroom, but it's going to be an amazing improvement!" she could hardly contain her excitement. "_And_ I will be receiving a raise and everything! For once, Link, I will be able to get to a decent birthday present…one that you deserve," she rose from her chair and gave Link a hug.

"Whatever you want Link…I promise I will get it for you," she then released him from her bear-like grip and ruffled his already chaotic looking hair. "Remember, you're always going to be my wittle Inky," she teased, pinching his cheek. Link rose up from his chair ironically standing a good foot taller than Penda and returned her hug. _Well, sorta little Inky_ he thought.

"Congratulations Aunt Penda! What's the project-not that I would understand or anything," he joked. He rarely understood what his aunt did for her a living when she explained it, so he eventually just stopped asking her. Penda clapped her hands together in delight.

"Oh! Link, it's SO exciting! We're exploring the bottom of the lake for historical evidence on this temple that is said to be one of the first places of worship for the Triforce religion _and_ it is supposed to be located _underneath_ the lake!!! Can you even _think_ of anything more exciting? I mean, we are going to be taking some of the most advanced equipment known to elfin and using it for this project! Legend has it that the Hero of Time fought a battle there, but of course we all know that is just a silly child's story…but still it gives it a bit of excitement. Wow…can you imagine? An underwater temple…So much history just waiting to be uncovered…" Penda gave a sigh and stared off into nowhere clearly overwhelmed by her new prospects.

Silence.

"Well," exclaimed Link, thoroughly uninterested in the history of some old temple that probably didn't even exist, "I know your going to do a great job," he pulled away from her and grabbed his school sack off the table. "I mean, you _are_ the best scientist in the whole Union of Hyland!" The Union of Hyland was the country Link lived in, made up of what once was several different ancient realms that had existed in the Old Ages, a time when elfins and other creatures were first starting to inhabit the lands. Or so Link thought…he rarely listened in school but somehow managed to get excellent grades in all his classes. It wasn't that he didn't care about his schoolwork, he did. He just didn't see the point in sitting in a classroom all day when he could be out exploring the few untamed forests of the Union. But he knew that an education was more important than gallivanting around in the sun, besides, he didn't think he was a very athletic person anyways. He didn't participate in any of the traditional elfin sports held at his school, like archery, and horseback riding, and swordsmanship. He simply didn't have time for it, he lived on the other side of the city from his school and when he wasn't doing school related things, he was working at Flanders Fishery. Plus, only jocks participated in the school sports and Link was anything but friends with _them_. 

Popping the last bit of his roll in his mouth, he gave his aunt a goodbye kiss on the forehead and ran to open the door. "And," he stated as an afterthought, "There is absolutely nothing that I need for my birthday." Before she could revolt Link jumped out the front door and shuffled down the hallway, only to be called after by his aunt who was now leaning halfway out the door. 

"Don't forget to stop by the grocery store on your way home," she shouted to his retreating back, "We need some more butter!" Link nodded his head in agreement and continued his trek down the corridors. He loved his aunt, but sometimes it felt like she was just an older sister rather than his aunt. But he couldn't blame her for that; she had only been 16 when his deceased parents, Faelic and Devra Arian, had left him in her care. Actually, he didn't really know if they were dead or not. All he knew was that they had disappeared when he was only a newborn baby. They had gone off across the Great Hyland Sea, but no one had ever told him _why_ they had left him at such an early age, or _what_ had happened to them… All he knew was that they had never returned, and that he had remained with his aunt, Penda, to live out his childhood, and Penda had not been allowed to live out her own because of it. He had often thought about his parents and felt angry at them for leaving him. When he had been younger he wished every night for them to come home and had even planned out what they would do together when they did…But as the years went by and as Link got older, they never did come back and he eventually lost hope and forgot.

Reaching the elevators, Link pressed the big orange button labeled "down" shaking his head in attempt to rid his mind of any thoughts about his parents. _That's the past_, he told himself. _It can't be changed._

DING!

The elevator had arrived. And was nearly bursting with people.

Quickly scanning the compartment for an empty space between the many blue robed scientist who were already up and about, Link carefully made his way inside of the elevator shaft, pulling his school sack closer to his body to conserve space as the elevator door closed. Giving a small lurch, the elevator began its long trip down to the lobby floor, making momentary stops to release and pick up the different Lake Hylia scientists waiting on each floor. The ride down was mostly silent other than the few coughs and grunts made by the various passengers who were busy studying the charts and data in their folders. One absently looked up from her files and gave Link a fleeting glance and then shook her head once she had seen his untidy appearance. Link just ignored her, he was used to being looked at in that way by his classmates at the school he went to, Parkins Academy for the Gifted. It was a school made up of anything but gifted people, thought Link to himself.

At one point during the ride down, two particularly noisy women stepped into the compartment, one tall and one short, each holding large cups of coffee and several enormous pink File Folders labeled _Project F658: For eyes of appointed personnel only_. To Link's relief, the women completely shattered the awkward silence that had filled the shaft and had been making Link feel very uncomfortable. He absolutely hated silence…it gave him the chills. 

The two women continued to shove their way through the crowd, until they found an empty spot by Link in the back of the compartment, where they once again commenced in chattering. The disgruntled passengers all turned their heads to glare at the disruptive duo only to be blatantly ignored. Link too glanced over in curiosity and immediately recognized the two women as friends of his aunt's, Cassa and Johalen, he believed there names were. He remembered them from a staff party his aunt had forced him to attend when she had been trying to match him up with another scientist's daughter who had, to Links relief caught a cold and had not been able to attend.

"I _know_! I couldn't believe it either!" The shorter woman, Cassa, babbled, brushing her frizzy red hair away from her bright green eyes, "Our very own Penda, the head scientist!"

"Only 31 years old too! Why, I say, I don't think I have ever heard of someone that young being the head of a project! But of course I always did know that girl had talent-"

"Oh yes I agree," Cassa continued, cutting Johalen off completely.

"I mean honestly, at this rate she's going to be telling _us_ what to do pretty soon!" The two then joined together in a hardy laugh. Link couldn't help but chuckle as well.

Johalen heard Link and glanced over in his direction and immediately beamed.

"Your Penda's nephew, aren't you? Link, right?" Cassa turned over to Link as well ready to but in on the conversation at any given moment. Link smiled.

"Yeah, that's me. How are you Mrs. Johalen?" he greeted, not knowing any other way to address her. Johalen laughed, throwing her head back as if she had just heard the single funniest thing in the world.

"Oh Dear, don't be ridiculous, you can call me Jo! Mrs. Makes me sound so OLD!" Cassa then joined in on the laughter as well.

"That's because you ARE old you coot! HOHOHOHO!!!" The two women erupted in laughter, receiving more disgruntled mumbles from passengers who had now begun to make fervent coughing noises in their direction. Link could do nothing but look on in amusement. When Cassa finally regained her composure the elevator gave another _DING_! And it was time for Link to get off. 

"Well, it was nice seeing both of you," Link said politely, making his way to the front of the elevator accompanied by several other scientists who were now very eager to escape the babbling Cassa and Johalen.

"YOU TOO!!!," they shouted back at him in unison right as the elevator door began to close. Link smiled to himself as he made his way out the front door of the Research Center building. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad day after all, he thought to himself. He looked around the lobby, it was sparse and resembled a doctors office for the lack of style. The floor was made of white tile that sparkled in the light and the walls were covered in dull light blue paint that matched most of the employee's lab coats. The room's only redeeming quality was the Research Centers Crest, a green potion bottle and inside it was a picture of the first Observatory on Lake Hylia, painted on the ceiling. 

As Link passed the front desk he saw a tall slender woman with short bouncy golden hair and dressed in a green lab coat standing behind it and staring at the schedule for the week.

"Good morning Miss Dalton!" he called to the woman. The woman looked over her shoulder recognizing the voice.

"Hello, Link! Heading off to work now?" she asked, removing her glasses and wiping them off as she did so. Nodefi Dalton had been Link's aunt's best friend since college and had helped pay for Link's medical expenses when he and Penda had been broke. She and Penda were practically joined at the hip, which was why they had both applied for a job as assistant scientist at the Lake Hylia Research Center together back when the two were fresh out of college. Over the years the two had really made a name for themselves in the Center, most of the people that worked there had nicknamed them "Terrible Two" because of the well-known pranks that they often pulled on their associates. Every memory that Link had of his childhood included Nodefi, from learning to tie his shoes, to going to the academy for the first time, Nodefi was there. She was like a second aunt to Link. 

"Yah," he responded.

"Well, tell that old man Flanders that I'm going to come doing later today and buy two large trout so I can cook it for my date tonight, all right?" she said. Link laughed, it seemed like every week Nodefi had another date and another guy, and when she wasn't out scouting for her own potential mate, she was trying to set up Link's aunt with someone else. This irked Penda because she insisted that she was simply too busy to go on dates let alone have a boyfriend, but despite her attempts to convince her friend, Nodefi never gave up.

"Sure, Ms. Dalton," he answered, and with that he exited the front door and continued on his way to the fishery.

Link took a deep breath as he entered the fresh air. It was beautiful outside. The sun hadn't quite yet peaked over the mountainside so it gave the sky a deep velvety color and made the waters of the lake look like stained glass. He had lived on the lake for so long now he could hardly remember what it was like to wake up to the cold gray concrete of the city like he once had. Even though the shores of the lake were scattered with stores, and hotels, and restaurants and layered with concrete roads and sidewalks, Lake Hylia was still one of the only beautiful places left in the Union of Hyland, which took up almost all of the Eastern Hemisphere. Link sighed at the thought. He often wondered what the land had looked like before it had become covered in skyscrapers, littered with automobiles, and devastated by pollution. He yearned to travel the world and explore the four hemispheres and see the thousands of different unions that the world had to offer. But he hadn't the money to travel the world and until he did, he would just have to settle for looking at them in textbooks, and learning about them in school.

School…

How he hated school.

Out of all the schools in the city, Penda had picked the hardest, meanest, and farthest away of all. Link lived in the southern side of Parkins City, one of the largest provinces in the Union, the city was divided into four sides: north, South, East, and West. North was known as the more sophisticated and noble side, south was considered dumb, broke, and filled with country bumpkins, east was where more of the wealthy community lived, and west was considered dangerous and rowdy. Normally a child would go to school on their own side, not only because it is closer but also because they wouldn't be picked on by other kids if they went to school on another side. But of course Link's aunt, being the over achieving nitpicking woman she was, made Link go to school at Parkins Academy for the Gifted on the Northern side. She said it was the best school in the city and that the most important thing in a child's life is their education. So Link ended up going to a school where a good portion of the students made fun of him every chance they got and nicknamed him "Hick Boy" because he was from the southern side. He learned to deal with it though. Luckily not everyone teased him. A lot of girls actually kind of liked him, or so he thought…he didn't know…he couldn't read girls like a lot of boys his age could. All he knew was that they were always following him, and talking to him and stuff. He didn't get it.

Link stepped onto the large flat barge that took passengers from one side of the lake to the other. It didn't look much like a boat, more like a flat rusty plank of wood with a steering wheel and rudder. It didn't appear to be very stable but Link knew better. He must have ridden on it every morning since he was 9 years old and it had never failed him once. He was the only person riding the barge other than an old woman who was leaning against a pole with her eyes half open and the man who was operating the barge. This wasn't surprising, there was rarely anyone up at this hour they were all still enjoying their sleep. _No one in their right mind would get up this early_ thought Link as he yawned deeply and looked down at his watch, which now read 4:30 AM. _No one_, _absolutely no one would willingly get up at this time unless they were mentally insane. _He laughed at the thought…he was insane.

The barge made several great lurches throughout the trip across the lake while it swayed from side to side on the clear pristine water, its motor rumbling as it did so. When they finally made it to the other side of the lake, Link eagerly hopped off now that he was a little more awake and ready to begin working. Waking up in the morning was not one of his favorite things, but working was, and he worked harder than almost any boy in the Union.

Up ahead in front of the fisheries building was his grizzled old boss, Talice Flanders. Talice was widely known all over Parkins City for the enormous fish he sold and his cheap prices. Link was easily one of Flanders' most valued employees and everyone that worked there knew it. He worked hard, always got the job done, and caught some of the biggest fish Hylia fisherman had ever seen. He was a fisherman's legend…

_Great_, he thought, _I'm worshipped by fisherman. What more could a guy ask for?_

"AHOY THERE, LINK!" Old Flanders shouted from the end of the docks, "YER EARLY TODAY! MIRACLES DO HAPPEN, EH?" 

And of course, no morning was complete without Talice and Link's mock insults.

"NOT A MIRACLE, FLANDERS, SHEER SKILL!" Link called back, ready for the ritual game argument.

"SKILL? _SKILL_? BOY YOU CAN'T EVEN TIE A KNOT WITHOUT BREAKIN A SWEAT! DO YOU CALL THAT SKILL?" the rest of the men that worked at the fishery erupted in laughter, they all enjoyed Flanders daily insult battles with Link. They could become quite amusing. Just the fact that Link was able to joke with there boss was amazing to them for Flanders was not the, well-easiest person to get along with. But Link always had a way with people, he could get inside their head, understand how they thought. He was able to relate to others and sympathize with them, if he had one redeeming quality his people skills would surely be it.

"OH, FLANDERS! IT SADDENS ME TO SEE YOU BECOME SO SENILE! I WOULD-." 

"WOULD YOU TWO _SHUT UP? _PLEASE! WE ARE TRYING TO BLOODY SLEEP HERE!" cried a woman leaning out her hotel window clearly fed up with the ongoing conversation. Link blushed like mad and pulled his hat down to obscure his identity while Flanders ducked behind a crate and snickered at his employee's misfortune. __

_I'm going to get that old man for this_ thought Link, immediately beginning to think of an outrages prank he could play on his boss.

"OH-ER-SORRY MA'AM," he called ….She had already slammed the window.

Link turned away from the window and ran past the laughing fisherman as they pointed at Link and started shouting things like, "Nice!" and "Ya really have a way with the ladies, don't ya boy?" all the way down to the dock where Flanders stood snickering behind his hand. 

"That was interesting…" Link commented, taking of his hat and ruffling up his hair, he didn't like it when it got too neat.

Flanders regained his composure, "Aye, I do believe it was," he replied although he was still chuckling to himself. "Well I reckon it's about time you got ta work, eh? First I need ya ta take those there crates of fresh fish off the boats and deliver them to the Water Fairy Hotel. You know, the one on Lakeside Avenue?"

Link smiled. Of course he knew.

"Yah, I know," he replied, "My friend works there, the one with red hair." 

"Oh right," Talice scratched his furry beard in thought, "Well, don't go thinkin' that you can lollygag around just because your with yer friend, I want you coming strait back here when your done. Got that? I don't need no dilly dallying." He wasn't really worried, he knew Link would do his job. He always did.

Link nodded to Flanders and began loading the crates into the delivery truck.

The sky was just beginning to lighten when Link arrived at the back entrance of the Water Fairy Hotel, the entrance deliverymen used. It was not nearly as charming as the front side of the building that was constructed of hard wood panels and painted an off white color with a dark blue brim. The Inn keepers had obviously not thought about making the Hotel look pleasing for the deliverymen. But who would?

Link could feel the brisk air penetrating through his clothing making him wish he had brought his heavy coat with him. His hat posed as some warmth but still didn't compensate for the rest of his body that was now beginning to feel icy. He never forgot to think ahead. Why did he forget his jacket? Maybe he was just excited about his birthday. Yes that had to be it…

But then why did he feel so weird? He had been feeling strange ever since he had started having those dreams that he couldn't remember. No that couldn't be it, there was no correlation between the two at all.

Link shook off the thought as he always did. 

Quickly loading the crates onto the trolley Link ran into the back end of the Hotel where the staff lived, trying to escape the bitter cold that he had not anticipated. The warm inside of the Water Fairy was a relief to his hardened bones, which now felt about ready to freeze solid and break off. Link had been through the halls of the Water Fairy enough times for it to feel like his second home. His good friend Alden Felta lived in the staff quarters and Link had known him since the first day he had moved into the Research Center. He had been the only little boy that had excepted Link and had been willing to be his friend even though he had been from the roughest part of Parkins City, the west side. The two of them had become such good friends that Alden's parents had even allowed him to switch schools and attend school in the north end with Link. It made being called a "hick" a little easier for both of them, as long as they were hicks together. Alden had stuck by him through the prejudice times of Link's life and Link intended to do the same for Alden if the time ever came up. 

Link reached the door of the kitchens, the place where Alden worked as a dishwasher. He pushed open the door, not even glancing to see if his friend was around and immediately began unloading the crates in freezer hoping to finish before Alden was able to spot him hauling dead fish around. Alden liked to tease him about how he was a fisherman, not that Link cared; was just as easy to make fun of Alden for being a dishwasher. 

No such luck.

"Ho there Link, you weren't going to sneak out of here without saying hello, now were you?" Link recognized the joking voice of his friend Alden and turned around to greet him before he was able to make a fisherman crack. But, as always, Alden was one step ahead of him. "Now, I know you're very busy hauling around your dead fish and all, very important business I'm sure, but couldn't you manage to take just a second out of your very busy schedule and say hello to an old friend?"

_The boy never misses a beat_, thought Link.

"Yah, well, I guess I was going to try to avoid you. Didn't want you cramping my style. I mean if I ever want to become a respectable old fisherman, I can't have simpletons like you around me all the time. Don't take it personally, it's strictly business," stated Link playfully as he shoved the last crate of fish into the freezer. Alden slapped him on the shoulder and smiled, his bright red locks falling around his light skinned face. Alden's features were a bit uncommon in the Union, strong features, bright red hair, and a lanky body with rounded ears instead of pointy ones like Link's. He and his family had immigrated from Barlok, a small country located North of the Eastern Sea (a good deal away from the Union) with a very small population with few people who were willing to move away from their home country. Alden's family had not been one of them. His parents had been told that they could make a better living in Hyland and that it was a safer place to raise a family, they hadn't been told that there was prejudice. Alden's accent was still noticeable causing many of his peers to mock him. He acted like it didn't bother him but Link knew that deep down it hurt to hear his classmates talk that way about him. 

"So, you excited about the Field trip?" Alden asked as he walked over to the coat hanger and grabbed his favorite gray jacket. _He is obviously thinking ahead…Unlike me,_ Link thought.

_Wait…What field trip?_

There was a field trip? How many more things could Link forget? His coat, a field trip, his BIRTHDAY! What was wrong with him? Why had he been forgetting things so much? Usually his memory was as sharp as a tack, maybe he could be ill. He _had _been having strange dreams, maybe he _was _sick.

"_What field trip_?" Alden repeated, raising an eyebrow and looking at Link skeptically as if he couldn't tell if he was playing a joke on him.

"Are you serious? Ink, come on, you've been looking forward to this thing for WEEKS!" Alden stared at him, waiting for Links mind to make a connection.

It didn't.

"Ooookay, you don't remember. Fine, I'll tell you," Alden inhaled and began, "Our school, along with EVERY other school in Parkins City, is going to meet at City Hall to hear a speech from the only living blood member of the Royal Family, you know, that Zelda girl? Yah, anyway, apparently there is going to be some huge competition between all the schools, some thing that only happens every hundred years or something like that…Ring any bells?" Alden paused, Link looked at him blankly, "I can't believe you forgot that, your such an idiot," Alden shook his head in mock disgust. 

The connection was made.

"Ohhhh right!" Link really did feel like an idiot, there really was something wrong with him.

Alden walked to the kitchen door and pushed his way out, holding it open for Link. "Well, ready to catch the bus? I don't know about you but I wanna see this Zelda…I wonder if she is hot…" Alden looked sideways at Link. He obviously had just thought of another funny joke he could throw at Link. "But of course, I doubt you will care, since you already got a girl." He waited for the reaction.

"WHAT?" Link blurted, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Link had obviously reacted exactly the way his friend had wanted.

"Awe, come on Link, you know you've got a little thing for Nara," Alden said, batting his eyelashes as he did so. Nara was a girl at their school that very obviously had a crush on Link but Link had always denied it…either that or he just didn't notice. But it wasn't that he didn't like her, or didn't think she were pretty or anything. He just wasn't really interested in girls…in general. They made him uncomfortable. 

Link laughed. "And you think I'm the idiot. I do NOT like Nara, okay? And she doesn't like me."

"Well, someone is in denial," Alden countered, but Link decided to ignore him until he changed the subject. "Okay, whatever. Lets just go," Alden said, slightly annoyed that Link didn't get as unnerved from his joke as he wanted.

Together the two walked down the hall, both now bubbling with excitement for the upcoming trip. Link didn't know what it was, but he could feel that something was going to come out of this meeting…something important, and whatever it was, had his stomach doing flips.

"Hey!" Link, stopped in his tracks on his way out the back door. _Finally_ he thought.

"What is it?" asked Alden slightly irritated now that his curiosity about the field trip, and more importantly Zelda, was at a bursting point.

"Oh, nothing really," Link stuttered, not wanting Alden to get suspicious, "I just remembered this dream I had."

Alden stared at him. "Good goddesses," Alden muttered slapping his palm to his forehead, "That's it?" He then walked out the front door muttering something about false excitement while Link merely thought about what his dream could have possibly meant…

Well that was uneventful. Sorry guys, that lasted a lot longer that I expected it to. Don't worry, the rest of the chapters won't be that boring, I just had to get warmed up and get the story going.

Soo, if you feel like reviewing and telling me of about my poor writing skills, feel free to do so…as long as it's constructive…or something. The next chapter should be out pretty soon. (For those of you who care that is…lol)

~_Haz_e Tax


	2. Doppelganger

Hey everyone! Or maybe just one, I don't know. I want to give a special thanks to ManicAlpha for going to so much trouble just to give me a review…That was very nice and gave me a reason to get this chapter out faster, even if there is only one person reading it…*cough cough* Oh well. Anyways, enough of that, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Millennial Witness because you are about to embark on a much more interesting chapter! (I think…) 

~o~o~o~

Millennial Witness 

**_Chapter two_** _Doppelganger_

Link spent the whole trip to the bus pondering his dream. Most of it was just an assortment of random images he couldn't place but even so, could still remember a great deal of it. He had thought once he remembered it that the meaning would become clear, but that turned out to be quite the contrary. From what he could tell, the dream didn't make any sense whatsoever. 

It had started in a forest…

He was running. Running so fast that the scenery around him appeared to be nothing but a blur of unidentifiable colors and objects. He was trying to get away from something but he couldn't remember what, all he could remember was being more terrified than he could even imagine possible…so utterly alone. Then he had come to a forest of children all clad in green. Their faces appeared to be so young and vibrant but in their eyes Link could see overwhelming wisdom and age, they acted as if they had lived since the beginning of time, had seen every hardship the world experienced, had felt the searing pain of losing a loved one. 

But they looked so young…

He had been afraid at first by the way they had stared at him in unwavering suspicion, whispering amongst themselves, but then one of the children, a girl as he recalled, approached him, her eyes meeting his in complete confidence. He knew he did not need to fear her, for the expression she wore was one used when reuniting with an old friend after years of being apart. She then touched her chest with her right hand and followed up by placing her palm over his heart. It was as if she was welcoming him, greeting him, telling him he was safe from whatever it was he had been running from. But before he could even speak his gratitude they disappeared into nothing and the surroundings dissolved into another dream. 

He didn't have long to think on the last for then a young girl appeared in front of him like a goddess… A beautiful girl with long golden hair that reached down past her waist and flowed like a stream of light. She smiled at him mysteriously, as if she knew his deepest thoughts and fears, but yet he wasn't uncomfortable like he normally felt around girls. He felt good. Happy. Right. He felt as though nothing bad would ever happen again as long as she was there with her crystal eyes, watching and protecting. The woman reached out with her arm that was draped in a dark blue robe and touched the top of his hand with her index finger, and there, on his hand, was a glowing triangle that he could feel throbbing as if it was within his very soul. 

She looked him directly in the eye and spoke in a voice that sounded like the music of a harp, soft and familiar. He had heard that voice before…

"You are him, and he was all, and that which was everything can very well fall." And with that the ethereal figure dissolved into a dazzling mist that slowly blew away and left him in the dark once more.

But he was not alone for long.

Soon he was in the middle of a vast ocean struggling to stay above the water's surface as a horrendous storm blazed about him, destroying all in its path. All he could remember after that were fleeting images of people dying, being murdered by a dark cloud that engulfed the world in utter terror. Again and again this happened, the world would be at peace while changing and growing until the evil cloud of smoke returned from the corners of the universe and once again robbed the world of its happiness. Although, every time was a bit different, life took on new lifestyles, the environment evolved as well as the creatures. It was as if he was reliving a terrible memory that only he could recall, as if he was watching the history of his world in fast motion. 

But then his vision went black again, and all he heard was a fierce, rumbling voice, a cold and contemplating voice that echoed through the core of his being like an earthquake. Simply and eerily he had whispered in Link's ear, "All legends die." 

And everything went dark.

What in the name of the goddesses could that mean?

Whatever it did mean couldn't help but give Link a sick feeling in his stomach. Was his dream telling him that danger was approaching? Was he psychic or something? Not a chance, that was absurd. Link, a prophet? Ha! Sure he had heard tales of people who could see into the future and make predictions, but he had only believed in that stuff when he was a kid. How could someone possibly see into the future? 

Maybe those old fairy tales are true, thought a little voice in the back of Link's head.

Suddenly the idea didn't seem as impossible. 

"You okay, Buddy?" Asked Alden, shaking Link out of his stupor. How long had Alden been trying to talk to him?

"What? Oh yah, I'm fine, just…ya know, thinking," Link replied as normally as he could. Alden just grinned in understanding.

"You trying to make a mental image of the princess too?" he snickered. Does Alden think of anything other than girls? Now Link was getting annoyed. Alden always managed to find a way to do that.

Link decided to end the matter flatly.

"Alden?"

"Yah, Fish boy?"

"Shut up."

~o~o~

After the two of them arrived at the bus stop Link tried to brush off all thoughts of his dream. He had wanted to remember it so badly, but now that he did he wished he could forget it. The faces of those screaming people as they made their lasts attempts to survive…it made him sick…even if it was just a dream.

"That damned bus is always late," muttered Alden as he and Link stood waiting at the bus stop while rubbing their hands together in an attempt to ward off the cold that was now trying to consume their bodies. "And it's as cold as a freezer out here, too," he continued to complain, "We should sue the public bus system for killing young children's nerve cells because of their lack of punctuality."

Link glared at Alden for complaining about the cold weather while he had a nice warm coat to keep him warm, whereas Link was wearing a shirt garnished in unpleasant holes. He decided to use this opportunity to give his dear friend a taste of his own medicine. "Alden, number one, you shouldn't be complaining because _you _are all snug and toasty in your stupid little coat. While I, on the other hand…LOOK AT ME! _I _am not wearing a jacket and _I_ have holes in my shirt! But am _I _complaining?"

Alden looked slightly embarrassed. _Victory_ thought Link, _Finally!_

But the expression soon faded.

Link waited for his friend's response, hoping to receive even the slightest bit of sympathy, but knew Alden well enough to know that he would not be getting it. But he didn't mind, sympathy made people weak, and Link did not want to be weak.

Alden stared at his feet, contemplating his next attack and then smiled deviously once it came to his mind. 

"Awe, poor wittle Inky poo, forgot his jacket and now he's cold," Alden mocked, patting Link on the head as if he was a toddler, or better yet, a dog. Alden often escaped from his punishments by skewing the conversation and making his offender be seen as if he was a fool. It was quite an effective tactic. Link once tried it but had ended up sounding confused and stupid, eventually causing his own downfall in the argument. He had been trying to ward off a jerk at his school that had made fun of the fact that Link never participated in any of the school sports because he was a wimp. The boy's name was Jelk Garnem and he, in Link's opinion, was the biggest ass to have ever walked the planet. Link couldn't even begin to explain his profound hatred towards Jelk, the boy who had made it near impossible to make a single friend at his school, beat him up on a regular basis for most of his life, and embarrassed him every chance he could get. Unfortunately, Link could still remember the conversation as if it had happened just 5 minutes ago.

_"So Hick boy, why don't you ever play the sports here? What? You afraid you might skin your knee?" The rest of his jock buddies laughed their stupid dull laughs at Jelk's statement. _

_Link decided he would use Alden's approach to the problem…Hoping it would lead him to a smooth and effortless victory._

_ "Jelk, the only thing sports have done for you is made your muscles the same size as your brain."_

Bad insult, for Jelk's muscles were abnormally large and if Link's statement had been true, Jelk would have had an exceptionally large brain. That had been the first and last time Link had tried to mimic Alden's Goddess given talent. Especially since it had led him to being thrown in a locker for the last three periods of school. That is until Alden finally came looking for him after noticing his absence in two of his classes. _Good old Alden…always on the ball_, Link smiled at his own joke.

Link looked down at his watch. The bus was half an hour late, if it didn't get there soon, Link and Alden would be late for school. So they kept waiting as patiently as they could despite the fact that Alden began to come up with rude insults he could throw at the bus driver once he arrived. 

Some time passed.

No bus.

More time.

Still there was no bus.

_I am going to freeze to death_ Link muttered to himself. "School is going to start in 10 minutes and it takes 25 minutes to get to our school," Link informed a very disgruntled Alden who was now pacing back and forth across the bus stop, mumbling profanity to himself. Links comment raised more of a reaction from his friend than he had expected…

"DAMNIT! We're going to miss the field trip, they are going to leave without us and drive away to City Hall where THEY will get to see the hot girl and WE will be sitting in the PRINCIPLES OFFICE explaining WHY we are so late and when we DO explain they WON'T believe us because WE are southern BUMPKINS so WE will have to be sent to JAIL for not getting to SCHOOL on time, while our asshole CLASSMATES get to make out with HOT GIRLS and eat crackers and dip and cheese and whatever else they might have there to consume!!!" Alden took in a deep breath after finishing his unnecessary rant predicting there unlikely future. 

Link couldn't help but laugh at his friend's wild imagination even though he knew that it was indeed quite possible that they would miss the field trip and be left to explain to the head master why exactly they were late. Link decided against informing Alden of his thoughts and instead to give him some moral support. 

"Don't worry, Al, we leave for the field trip after first period. I doubt the bus is going to be an hour and a half late.

Alden's expression became hopeful. He had amazing mood swings. 

And as if some greater force had heard Alden's plea and decided he was too pitiful not to be helped, the bus to school arrived and Alden threw himself through its doors before Link had even noticed it had come. Once he too had climbed up into the bus, he and Alden found a place at the back of the bus where they could talk without being heard by the bus driver. As usual, there were no other students on the bus because, unfortunately for them, Link and Alden were the soul residents in the south, or anywhere else for that matter, who went to Parkins Academy for the Gifted. 

Although there was one other student that Link knew of from his school that did not live in the North, his name was Makellin Ooru and he came from the same part of the city that Link had once lived in, the west. And out of previous knowledge Link knew that the west side was no easy place to live. No one really knew that much about Makellin and from what Link could tell no one wanted too. Not even jocks wanted to bother him in fear that he could take them all down with a single blow, and their concerns were justified. He stood at least a foot taller than every boy in school, had muscles that looked as if they belonged to a god, and an expression that could ward off a thousand moblins with one glance. He had dark skin like most of the people that lived in the west side of the city, with deep rust colored hair that spiked out at odd angles and piercing yellow eyes that resembled a cats. Makellin Ooru was definitely not a guy to be reckoned with and everyone in Link's school knew it.

The majority of the bus ride was without conversation as Link and Alden pondered their own thoughts, Link's being about his dream, Alden's about the field trip. He tried to ignore the strange feeling he got when he thought about it but no matter what he did he could still hear the voices of all those people, dying, asking him for help but he not being able to fulfill their requests. Failing.

And that voice…_her _voice, the voice that he could tell was trying to warn him of something approaching…something dangerous, something evil. 

_"You are him and he was all, and that which was everything can very well fall_."

It echoed in his mind relentlessly for the rest of the ride to school.

~o~o~o~

When the bus finally came to a stop at the front of the school Link and Alden had already missed fifteen minutes of first period. So the two ran and ran as fast as they could through the front doors of their opulent school and down the stone hall to their right, up two flights of marble stairs, past the enormous library and the girls' bathroom, and came to a skidding stop right in front of their Hyland History classroom.

The two boys looked at each other questioningly. They could hear their teacher Mr. Alsofkar talking in his annoyingly calm voice and writing on the board, which meant that his back was probably facing them. They could either walk in right now and explain why they were late and possibly receive a detention for being tardy, or sneak in while his back was turned and risk getting caught. Obviously, neither of them was about ready to give up their free time without a fight. They gave each other a solemn nod, silently agreeing on their plan and then saluted as if they were saying their final goodbyes before they made a heroic leap into a battle.

Link started towards the door first. 

The desks in the class were facing towards the back wall of the room where Mr. Alsofkar was writing something on the board, Link sat on the right side of the room and Alden sat on the left. Slowly the two boys tiptoed towards their seats, praying that their teacher wouldn't turn around and catch them in the act. Eventually as Link passed different rows of desks, students began to notice them and started to make muffled chuckles while Mr. Alsofkar appeared to remain oblivious to what was taking place in his class.

_Almost there_… Link told himself as he approached his desk.

Only three more steps… 

_Two now…_

_Just a little more-and…. Safe._

Link let out a sigh of relief as he and Alden slipped into their seats. Alden looked towards Link and gave him the thumbs up. Link returned the thumbs up by lifting his right hand so that the back of his hand was facing Alden and his fingers made a fist. This was an old sign of victory that had developed thousands of years ago in Hyland, no one really knew what it meant but historians theorized that it had something to do with early believers of the triforce religion.

Many of Links classmates glared at him for being able to escape punishment. If Link and Alden had been from the north side like them, they probably would have been congratulating them for their victory over their teachers. But like everywhere else in Parkins City, nobody was friendly to those who were not from their side. Unless you were Link, because in that case you would have girls following you around no matter where you were from. But Link, being the socially oblivious boy he was, didn't even notice.

Class went on for a few minutes as if nothing had even happened and the students eventually forgot about Alden and Link's amazing slip from the wrath of Mr. Alsofkar, and his Ritohnian fury. The Ritoh were a people that had many bird like features such as wings and feathers that covered their whole body. They were one of the oldest people in the world and at one time were even said to fly. But that was before they had begun to breed with elfin and other races, causing their beaks to disappear and their bones to become more dense, this ended their ability to fly and pretty much wiped out most of the Ritoh species. Now, there was not one pure blooded Ritoh in the world. But unfortunately for Link and Alden, the Ritoh had definitely not lost their ability to hear a pin drop from a mile away. And Mr. Alsofkar _was_ indeed part Ritoh…

Alsofkar finished what he was writing on the board and turned around staring intently at the class with his small bird-like eyes. 

"Well, shall we begin our lesson?" he asked the class in a dry voice. The class remained silent other than a few coughs and groans. "All righty then," Alsofkar continued in a phony excited voice, "Before we begin I will first write out Mr. Felta and Mr. Arian's detention slips, don't want to forget that, now do we?"

The class looked over in Link's direction and started to laugh.

"That's right, kiddies. I could hear you from clear down the hall, panting like dogs, if you ask me. A deaf man could have heard you," their teachers smiled grimly.

There was more laughter. But Alsofar's wasn't finished.

"Really, if you had just explained to me _why_ you were late, I would have let you off. Why, you ask? Well, because the bus system was late today and half the school was tardy. And of course that situation was out of your control, so I couldn't possibly have given you a detention for your lack of educational enthusiasm," Alsofkar continued to smirk his intolerable smirk.

Link and Alden's jaws dropped. He had heard everything. How could they be so stupid? They had known perfectly well that Alsofkar could hear a baby crying on a different continent, what could have possibly possessed them to do something so reckless?

Mr. Alsofkar walked calmly over to his desk while humming a happy tune of triumph and wrote out the two boys detention times on separate pieces of paper, each with a happy face printed on it. Alsofkar probably found it funny to garnish children's detention slips with happy little smiling faces. _That's how sick that man is,_ Link thought bitterly to him self. Without another word Alsofkar walked over to Alden's desk, handed him his detention slip and then crossed over to Link's side of the room and gave him his own. And he smiled the whole time.

Link looked down at his slip. It read:

**Student**: Link Arian

**Student ID number**: 886512

**Teacher**: Taniel Alsofkar

**Terms for detention**: Reluctance to compensate for tardiness

**Date of detention**: December 3-Saturday

**Location**: Room 338-Alsofkar, History class

**Duration**: 2 hours

**Parent or Guardian Signature:**_________________

_Lovely…two wonderful, fun filled hours with Alsofkar._

But that wasn't what made Link worry, he was more concerned with getting his guardian's signature. _Aunt Penda is going to kill me then revive me, then kill me again when she finds out about this, _he told himself. Penda was not the type of parent who would stand for her boy getting detentions. And after she had offered to get him an expensive birthday gift, the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her. He couldn't let her know about his detention, Link would just have to do his best and try to forge her signature him self. Even if it meant Link had to lie, something he was very bad at and hated doing, he would try because anything was better than having Penda be disappointed in him. Anything. 

"So Little ones," stated Mr. Alsofkar in a monotone voice, "Today is an exciting day because we are starting a new chapter in our history book. Come on now, who's excited, show of hands…"

Every one's hands remained still. Alsofkar didn't look surprised "Wow guys, relax, don't get _too_ excited," the sarcasm practically dripped from his mouth. "Well, let's get started then. Turn to page 556 in your _Hyland History_ textbooks everyone.

The class moaned in unison as they all bent over and pulled out their textbooks from their backpacks and flipped to the correct page. Link did so as well, not at all eager to discover what their next subject would be in history for the next month. He hated history enough already. He just didn't see how people could care so much about events that happened thousands of years ago, it wasn't like it was going to help them in any possible way to learn about some old man that invented chips or something. It didn't make a difference to anyone, especially Link. History was bunk.

Link opened his book and flipped through the pages until he came to page 556. The title read:

Ancient Tales and Folklore 

The Legend of the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages

By Dr. Darson Egrecken 

Link stared at the page. The Hero of Time was a fairy tale, a child's story. How could they be teaching them about some made up legend in history class? Link could remember being told all those stories about the boy without a fairy and the Waker of the Winds, but they were just old myths that were only kept alive for the amusement of children. The stories weren't real.

Link's teacher put on his reading spectacles and cleared his throat. "For this chapter we will be studying the ancient folklore of Hyland and how it effected the shaping of our oh-too-fabulous Union and the different religions and beliefs that we have to this day," Alsofkar yawned. The guy was so dull that he even bored himself…

"All righty, any volunteer readers? Anybody? Come on now, do I have to pick you myself?" He looked around the class…no volunteers. "Apparently, yes…Okay then, how about…Mr. Arian! Would you be so kind to enlighten us with your extravagant reading skills?"

It wasn't a question. Alsofkar was commanding him to read. Link looked around the class, he could see Nara on the other side of the room putting on lipstick and fixing her hair. _That's odd_, he thought. 

"Mr. Arian, can you stare at Miss Hace _after_ class, please?" Alsofkar said coldly. Link was horrified. He had _not _been staring at her. Nara's head darted over towards Link's direction; he could feel her eyes on him. _Don't look_ he told him self, _that will only encourage her more. _Link slid down into his seat. He could not remember being so embarrassed in his life.

_Damn Link, what did you get yourself into now…Nara is going to think that you like her! Good goddesses, what more can go wrong?_

He decided he had to retaliate.

"Mr. Alsofkar I wasn't looking at her-." 

"I don't need excuses Mr. Arian…just read."

Link glared at his teacher but managed to force somewhat of a smile. 

"Yes Sir, of course," he responded, his voice sounded constricted, but at least it was calm. He cleared his throat and began to read the first passage of the chapter.

"The Legend of the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages is a tale known widely all around the Union of Hyland. The tale was said to have started in the Dark Epoch a few hundred years before the Great Flood separated the land into various Islands but that is only speculation. Historians are still looking for evidence on whether or not these tales are merely myth or drawn from real events. For centuries that was all they were believed to be, fables, but on April 16, 2032 a group of young college students from the University of Oralynne discovered an ancient temple like fortress located on the outskirts of Parkins City that dated back at least ten thousand before the Dark Epoch. On the inside walls of the structure the students came upon an amazing discovery, every square inch was covered in depictions of what is theorized to be the story to Legend of the Hero of Time. In order to decipher what it meant, the national government of Hyland brought in some of the top linguist in the world to decode the hidden meaning, but unfortunately none were able to identify the language. To this day historians, linguists, scientists, and archaeologists are still researching the ancient temple, although they have still not been able to identify it as any structure documented in history."

"Thank you Mr. Arian," Alsofkar interrupted halfway through the page while removing his glasses and massaging his temples, "Mr. Ooru, will you please continue the next half of the page?"

Makellin nodded his head drearily as he began running his finger over the lines of the book looking for the spot Link left off at, he had obviously not been following along with the text and now had to pay for it by being embarrassed in front of the class. Alsofkar made a few irritated grunts while Makellin frantically searched for his spot. Once he found it he immediately began reading in his deep bear like voice, speaking slowly in order to pronounce each word correctly. Link listened along eagerly, not wanting to miss a bit. He couldn't explain why, but he was actually interested in the topic. That was something that didn't happen very often…or ever.

The rest of the passage mainly retold the Legend of the Hero of time from the first adventure, to the last, including all of the new details that had been discovered by historians in recent years. At the end they even mentioned some of the theories that had been constructed by different historians in order to prove that the tales were more than just made up fairy tales. One woman by the name of Chalen Koronkaven, a professor of Elfin Archaeology at the University of Norden went as far to propose that the boy of Legend and the Princess of Destiny were merely spirits chosen by the Goddesses to be reincarnated every time evil threatened the world. Link found that theory totally farfetched.

_Ha!_ _That is ridiculous_, he scoffed to himself_, how could anyone think that's possible?_

Once Makellin finished the page Link ran his hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair, soaking in all of the new information while at the same time trying to make sense of it. But unfortunately the majority of it _didn't_ make sense. So much of their theories just seemed to be speculation and random attempts at guessing, there was no real evidence that there really was a Hero of Time. Link couldn't decide if he believed it or not.

While Link continued to drift within his thoughts Alsofkar pulled out his overhead projector and began to write down an extensive amount of homework, most of the class made abnormal grunts and coughs of disapproval. Alsofkar returned their upheaval with a twisted smile of triumph and an odd quivering of his tail feathers. Link guessed that had to be some strange Ritoh body expression.

BEEP!

The bell rang and Alsofkar reluctantly dismissed the class, giving each student a cold look of utter contempt as they scuttled past him on their way out the door and into temporary freedom. Link lurched out of his seat and collected all of his belongings, making sure to mark the pages they had just read before he closed his textbook…he thought he might do a little extra reading that night.

"Oh, Inky Boy! Can you take any _longer_?" Alden called as he stood in the hallway, his eyes sparkling with excitement for the field trip. Behind him hundreds of other students wore the same expression but were racing by to the front of the school eager to get on the first bus that was on its way to City Hall. The whole school was in a frenzied buzz, even the teachers who were normally rigid and expressionless were now rushing out of their classes along with their pupils, pushing their way through the crowd like a pack of ravenous wolves following the scent of a deer. Link couldn't make heads or tails out of what was going on. Had the school gone mad, or was the field trip really going to be that important? 

Alden was slowly loosing his patience…the little he had of it. "Knock, knock Link! Anybody home? The busses to City Hall are filling up like an alcoholics flask! Come ON!"

When Link finally regained his senses the two friends sprinted down the halls to the front of the school, fighting their way through the dense crowds of students. Link was exceptionally smaller than most of the boys at his school and tended to get pushed around in large crowds. Those situations irritated Link because he hated to be in a position in which others had greater power over him. He wasn't a control freak; he just liked to know that he would be able to hold his own if he needed to.

_I wonder if the Hero of Time was like that…_Link chuckled at his child like proposal. Those were the types of things he thought when he was a toddler, when he was still quite naïve. When he believed that it was possible for him to become more than just a smelly old fisherman. He knew better now.

Link decided it would be safer if he grabbed on to the back of Alden's school sack for the rest of the journey. Slowly but surely the two boys got closer to the departing busses and eventually managed to shove their way onto one where they found two empty seats at the back. Alden flopped down into the chair closest to the window and removed his backpack with a sigh of relief.

"Damn, I thought we'd never make it," gasped Alden who was now wiping the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his coat. Link nodded his head in agreement and began looking around the bus for a familiar face. No one. 

Still a bit tired from his early rising Link decided he would try to get a little rest on the way to City Hall. Ignoring Alden's none stop jabbering about this and that, Link slowly drifted off into a light sleep that lasted no more than 5 minutes, but to Link, even seconds counted for something. 

The ride to City Hall went by smoothly along with the excited chatter of all the passengers, including Alden who had continued talking to Link, unaware that he was drifting in and out of reality and hadn't been listening to a thing he had said. Link could feel the excitement rising inside the bus. The bus had entered Parkins Square. They were almost there. 

Link opened his eyes and stretched out the cold, aching muscles in his legs. He had broken his right leg several times in the duration of his child hood while playing violent war games in his old neighborhood in the west side of Parkins. The boys from his street, Arn Lane, and the boys from Ambi Way had upheld a bitter rivalry for as long as any of them could remember. None of them knew how it had begun, nor did they care, all that they thought about was how to put the opposing boys in as much misery as they possibly could. Link hated hurting other boys, but as much as he protested against his initiation into "Arn's Devils", the name the leaders of the group had chosen for themselves, he had no choice but to accept unless he was willing to receive the consequences: total loss of protection. The Devils offered him safety and acceptance, two things Link strongly needed. If he refused to be apart of the group, he would be free game for any of the psychos in the city. Of course he had joined them. Why not? Unfortunately, Link's small size made him a good target for the opposite team to torture. He still had the scars and his leg had never fully recovered from its numerous fractures, leaving him with a lingering memory of those rough days he had spent fighting for Arn's Devils. But the funny thing was…He had actually enjoyed it…every moment of it.

Link was a fighter. He was a loving and compassionate person as well but no matter how he tried to ignore it, no matter how often he told himself he was peaceful and calm, at the core of his being, he was a warrior, and although he did not yet realize it, it was there. It was there waiting for the chance to show itself. To prove that Link Arian was more than just a coward who was afraid of the dark. To show everyone, including Link, what he had been surprising inside himself for so many years. But until then, it would wait.

The tower of Parkins City Hall appeared through the front window of the bus. The students cheered, for most of them this was their first field trip at the school and that was definitely something to be celebrated. The entire perimeter around the building, including a few blocks down, was covered with boys and girls from every school in Parkins City, each one wearing an expression of utter excitement. Link stared in awe at the enormous red brick building that was held up by several large marble pillars and crowned with four exquisitely decorated towers, one for each direction of the city. Together he, and Alden stepped out of the bus and followed along with the rest of the crowed through the extravagant front archway, down a long hallway decked out with intricate candle holders and a lavish burgundy rug, and entered an absurdly large amphitheatre that seemed big enough to seat at least half of the city's population. 

Link's school found that the places they were meant to sit had been marked with tall signs that read their school name. Alden scurried to a place at the end of a row and beckoned for Link to follow. As soon as Alden sat in his chair he immediately began scanning his eyes over the rows of people sitting on the stage, each were important political figures in Parkins City, like Mayor Horell and Senator Boreski, but all Alden was meaning to find was the heir to the Royal Family. Princess Zelda. And he found her soon enough.

"Link! Link!" he nudged his friend several times on the shoulder, "Damn, do you see her? That has to be her! She's even sexier than I thought she would be!" Alden then grabbed Link's head and turned it in the direction the princess was sitting. Link rolled his eyes but looked all the same.

And there she was.

Sitting in the middle of the row of politicians in a high backed chair, dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans and a dark blue turtleneck. She was speaking to a small person whose face, and entire body for that matter was covered in an unpleasant looking gray robe; the figure was sitting to the right of Zelda, leaning over her chair to whisper to her. _That's odd_, Link acknowledged. 

Next to the clean cut men and women she looked like just another teenage girl. But then he saw her face. It was hypnotizing.

He could tell that she must have spent long hours outdoors working for her face was browned like his, and her muscles were large, but not bulky like someone who does repetitive exercising just to look toned, her body was lean and strong, filled with endurance. She was pretty. Link thought a girl was pretty. He had never felt a sensation like the one he felt at that moment. He wanted to meet her, to know her. But yet, he felt like he already did…she was so…familiar.

Where have I seen her before? 

"Wow," Alden drooled as he continued to stare at places _other_ than Zelda's face. 

"Goddesses Alden, your such a pervert," Link punched Alden jokingly in the stomach. Alden didn't seem to notice much. He seemed to be in a trance so Link decided against exerting any more energy on such a helpless cause as Alden.

Link looked back up at the one last heir to the royal family, and at that moment the gray figure seated next to her pointed out at the audience-directly at Link. 

And their eyes met.

He remembered.

Zelda was the woman from his dream, the beautiful goddess he had envisioned in the dark blue robe. She had touched his hand. It was the girl from his dream, he was sure of it. His heart pounded in his head. This was too strange.

Zelda's expression also changed from fright to shock. They continued to stare at each other as if they had just seen the other killed and then revived. Link's mind raced, he _was _a prophet, a magician, and a freak. What the hell was going on?

No that's impossible, it's a coincidence.

Link could see Zelda rub her eyes and look another direction, the mayor of Parkins City had risen from his seat and was now standing at the podium, commanding silence among the students. Whatever Link felt was lost in the excitement, stored away in the back of his mind by the thrill of finally discovering what the whole field trip was about. But it was not forgotten, for the time would come when he would have to remember and that time was not now.

The room went silent.

"Welcome boys and girls!" The mayor's voice boomed and echoed off the wood paneling of the amphitheatre, not one person's attention wavered "Welcome to the renewal of the renewal of one of the greatest events in the history of Hyland! But before we began I would like to thank a few members of the Parkins City Congress for the amazing effort they have all put into this project." The mayor then rambled on about the contributions various people had made. No one was paying attention until he finally returned to the original subject. The subject the audience was interested in. 

"And so, t has been a thousand years since it was last held, and now I believe that we are all ready-every last one of us-to once again witness and participate in the phenomena that is…" Mayor Horell paused and let the tension reach a bursting point, "THE TOURNAMENT OF KNIGHTS!"

The room erupted in chatter, every one turned to his or her friend and began immediate speculation of what the Tournament of Knights could possibly be, every one save for Zelda, who remained sitting in astonishment. Murmuring to herself in both rapture and fear…

_It's him._

_ It's him._

_ The evil is coming…_

~ o ~ o ~ o~

There it is! The beginning of the plot! And don't worry; I have the entire story planned out in my head so there wont be any excruciatingly long periods of time between my updates. I'm going to go start on my next chapter now…that is _after_ I get some coffee.

~Haze


	3. Princess

Hey everyone, sorry about the wait. School has been crazy for the past few weeks, I've hardly had time to breathe, let alone write. Anyways, most of this chapter is about Zelda, her thoughts, and her background, but don't worry, it eventually diverts back to the overall plot and Link will still be in there for the majority of the chapter. And also, for some reason every time I've uploaded this chapter the layout became all funky so sorry if it looks really messed up, I'll try to fix it later, but for now, I just want to get this out there. So here it is…

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Millennial Witness Chapter three Princess 

She had been anything but a princess, always dirty and rarely polite. Never bothering to treat her elders with respect or even bathe on a regular basis. She had lived the life of a loner, without love and without care, having no parents to turn to and no siblings to depend on. Zelda had been the loneliest of orphans.

Having spent the early years of her life shuffling through the dirty halls of an orphanage searching for a way out, eating the cheapest brand of cereal, and sleeping on a rock hard mattress, Zelda had become a very unsympathetic and thick-skinned adolescent. But one could not blame her, the drama in her life had never let up. 

On her twelfth birthday in The Sister's Children's Home, Zelda had been taken away to an adolescent training camp in the Queen's Desert, after showing early signs of a strategic military mind. But she didn't complain, by that time she was desperate to be out of the orphanage and thankful to be receiving a proper education. The Hyland Combat School was a military preparatory academy in which young and gifted teenagers could in role if they wished to pursue a career as a Union of Hyland general or commander. Zelda really had no interest in becoming part of a militia or designing weapons for the army. Quite frankly, she didn't really have any interests at all, save for writing. That was something she didn't mind doing. As a matter of fact, once she learned to read and write; she became quite fond of thinking up stories and then putting them down on paper. When she wasn't doing her schoolwork or attending her Physical Reinforcement classes, Zelda would pull out an old notebook from underneath her bed and write whatever happened to be on her mind.

For three years Zelda struggled to remain sane under the strict living conditions she had to suffer through. But on the morning after her 15th birthday an interesting article had caught her eye while reading the daily Newspaper in the cafeteria. It had read:

The Search for the Royal Heir Continues 

Union officials continue their rampant search for the heir to the royal throne of Hyland in Parkins City

_After holding a press conference last evening, congress has publicly announced that the last remaining blood relative to the royal family of Hyland is most definitely located in the capitol of the Union, Parkins City, and according to research should be an adolescent with the surname Ordello. This weekend government officials are holding a citywide search to find the one citizen of Parkins with the matching DNA to Hyland's most recent queen, Nadora Harkinion. If you are a pure Hylander and are in any way genetically associated with the surname Ordello, you are highly encouraged to attend the search. The official search will be held at the Parkins City Courthouse on Saturday November 12th from 6:30 AM to 12:00 PM on Sunday the 13th. The participants have been asked to bring a valid birth certificate and an up to date Identification Card. For more information call 48-94-35-76._

The article was then followed by the address to the courthouse. 

Zelda had felt a tingle resonate throughout her body, could she possibly be _royalty?_ Was there a way she could escape from combat school? The thought was absolutely impossible, but at that moment, in that time, Zelda didn't care if it was plausible or not. All she wanted was to be out of the hell hole which was her life and become something worthwhile-anything other than what she presently was. Nobody. 

Finishing off the last bites of her watery scrambled eggs, Zelda had reached for the newspaper, tore out the article containing the information she needed to attend the search being held for the royal heir, and ran to the head masters office where she asked for a copy of her birth certificate. Although he had been reluctant to give it to her, the head master eventually supplied her with the certificate allowing Zelda to move on to the next step in her plan. By midday, Zelda had finished gathering all of the items required for participation in the search including the pass needed to board the bus that took Hyland Combat students into the city on the weekend. For the next week all Zelda could do was wait until the coming Saturday, and unfortunately, she wasn't very good at being patient. She spent the remaining week like she did most days, attending brutal classes and struggling to finish after school work, but at least she had something to look forward to. 

By the time Saturday morning came, Zelda had awoken at 5:00 AM in order to catch the bus that left at 5:30. She threw all of the things she needed into her backpack and managed to catch the bus moments before it took off. The ride to the courthouse had been anything but enjoyable; all the students on it were also on their way to test for royal blood, which made Zelda feel stupid for even thinking she could have a chance. There were too many people in the city, too many possibilities, and too many damn people with the last name Ordello. 

Zelda arrived at the courthouse and was met with thousands of other hopeful Hylander teenagers who were lined up all around the building and the sidewalk. Zelda had taken her place at the very end. The morning went by slowly until it was afternoon, by then Zelda could actually see the front of the line, eventually the sun set and she was first in line after many hours of standing and restless waiting. A constable guarding the doors had ushered her through and pointed to a booth at the far end of the room with a sign that read "45". Zelda hesitantly approached the crude looking woman at the booth and handed over her birth certificate and let her see her student identification. The woman quickly glanced at Zelda's identification, nodded her head, wrote something down, and then told her to fill out an application and wait to take a blood test in the next room. Zelda did so and was then told that if her DNA matched their sample that they would call her on the number she had written down on her application. Before she knew it she was on the bus back to her school. 

A week went by and there was no call. Zelda lost hope and sunk back into perpetual depression that she had lived with he whole life. But the next day her prayers had been answered…

She had been running laps in Physical Reinforcement when her head master called her into his office. Zelda's first reaction was that she was in trouble and would have to perform countless hours of community service, but when she stepped into his office there were government officials all around the room. It was then that she realized why she had been called in…

They told her that according to the research they had been collecting for decades, she was the last remaining ancestor to the royal family. After they ran the blood test it was confirmed and they had contacted her school immediately. The following day Zelda was whisked away from everything she knew and was taken to live in the Parkins Legislative building where she learned everything there is to know about being sophisticated. Although she had not yet been officially crowned the princess of Hyland Zelda was still treated as if the ceremony had already been held. She was assigned six tutors in place of school and was given her own room in her own wing of the building with four body guards and an attack dog named Fhitter. 

She was saved and for the first time she wasn't just dreaming.

But unlike her previous beliefs, Zelda did not enjoy the regular pampering of her new life and feared the day when she would have to appear publicly for the first time to announce her reclaiming of the thrown and the renewal of the Tournament of Knights. She would have to speak in front of thousands of people, _her_ people, and look princess-like doing it…the thought of public speaking frightened her to the core. She almost wanted to return to her terrible orphan life, but then sense came back to her and she was once again grateful to be where she was. But even though she was being treated like she was sophisticated, her childhood was still imbedded too deep inside her for royal life to make an impact upon her still savage personality. All in all, Zelda couldn't see why anyone would ever want to be a princess, especially in modern times for she held no power, she was only considered a symbol of Hyland culture. Zelda's behavior remained to be hostile until the day she met her History tutor, Chalen Koronkaven.

At first glance Chalen was a very eerie sight, she wore nothing but a gray cloak, which was always pulled over her head, and she had a very small figure with piercing green eyes. On their first meeting, Zelda had told her that she belonged in the Old Ages, but Chalen didn't take it personally, she merely let out a childish giggle. This had surprised Zelda for she had not meant her remark to sound friendly she had wanted it to sound vicious. 

There on after Zelda looked up to Chalen and had her accompany her everywhere, Chalen even gave up her job as the professor of Elfin Archaeology at the University of Norland so she could become Zelda's full time advisor. For the first time in her entire life, Zelda had a friend.

It had been the night after Zelda met Ms. Koronkaven that the vision came, the vision that changed her life and her character. 

That had been the night she remembered.

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

"For all Nayru's love…it _is_ him," Chelan muttered under her breath as she sat next to Zelda on the stage of the amphitheatre. "I-I cannot believe he is actually…here-alive," she continued to stutter while she desperately tried to suppress the impending tears she could feel welling up behind her eyes. Zelda turned to her advisor and nodded solemnly. This was what she had feared.

"He looks exactly as I saw him in my dream. But even so, we still can't be sure until he wins-" she tried to say but was cut off from the roars of the crowed drowned her out completely. She could feel his presence even when she wasn't looking at him. She could sense the strength of his will. Zelda looked back out into sea of faces and felt her hands get clammy. Any moment she would be called up to speak to the audience…to her subjects…to her hero.

_Why do I have to be here?_ She thought to herself. _Why does **h**__e have to be here? The Evil One is coming, the legend…its true._

Zelda's laments were soon interrupted.

"NOW! LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO HYLAND'S LAST REMAINING HEIR TO THE ROYAL FAMILY! THE PRINCESS ZELDA!"

The crowed erupted in cheers and applause including an abundant amount of whistles coming from a good deal of the male spectators.

"Oh shit," she said so that only her advisor could hear. Chalen laughed at Zelda's vulgarity although her attention remained on Link.

"Don't worry, Hon, you'll do fine. Go on, walk up with confidence."

Zelda swallowed hard and pried herself from her seat as she pulled a lock of hair from in front of her face and made her way to the podium amidst the hollering of the audience. As she approached the mayor he bowed respectively and took his seat. Zelda stepped up to the podium with all the elegance she could muster and awkwardly adjusted her microphone while clumsily placing her written speech in front of her.

Link watched the princess with an utmost fascination as she pulled her golden locks of hair behind her long delicate ears and began her speech. Looking at her up on stage almost made him completely forget about the reason why he was there.

"Um. Hi-er-Hello…everyone. As you all probably know, I am Zelda, the last heir to the royal thrown of Hyland-"but before she could even get through the first sentence of her announcement, a boy called on the balcony called out to her.

"MARRY ME, PRINCESS!" 

The audience began to laugh at the audacity of the young boy. Fortunately this settled Zelda's nerves and allowed her to carry on with a relaxed attitude.

"Well- uh, let me take a rain check on that one, Buddy," she replied to the boy. More chuckles came from the crowd. "Moving on. Well, following on the Mayors announcement, I am here to tell all of you about the Tournament of Knights. This will be a brutal weeklong competition between only the strongest, bravest, and smartest Hylanders in the Union. The competition will be held here, in Parkins City, the capitol of the Union and the historical place where the old Tournament of Knights was held a thousand years ago. There will be a different challenge every day that the contestants must surpass. Those who don't will be eliminated. Monday, January first will be the first day of the tournament in which anyone fifteen or older who lives in the union can try out for. The preliminary competition will include tests of agility, swordsmanship, archery, wit, and horseback riding. Out of every competitor only one hundred people will be chosen to take part in the actual Tournament of Knights. Tuesday, January second will be the beginning of the Tournament in which the results from the previous preliminaries will be posted at Parkins Stadium. All contestants who have been chosen to compete in the tournament will be asked to meet for further instructions. Wednesday, January third will mark the beginning of the first competition: archery. The thirty lowest performing competitors will be eliminated that day. Thursday will be the horseback riding in which another thirty people will be eliminated. Saturday, the final day of competition will be swordsmanship and hand to hand combat. The remaining sixteen people will be divided into four groups of four: the red group, the blue group, the green group, and the white group. Out of each group only one person will surface leaving only four competitors to be once again divided. After both fights there will be only two competitors who will have to duke it out. The winner will be awarded the title of a Hyland Knight and given a genuine Hyland shield along with a magnificent trophy at his or her award ceremony the following night."

By now the crowd was in an uproar, there was not one boy in the audience who wasn't bragging to his friend about how he was going to win the tournament, save for those who were under fifteen and were now complaining about how they could take any fifteen year old. Link sat in a stupor. His mind was in a blur. He needed to do this. This was his calling…his destiny. Never had he felt such a desire to do anything. 

_But I've never ridden a horse, let alone used a sword or shot an arrow, _his conscious reminded him. His heart sank. How could he possibly become an expert swordsman in less than a month?

"Ink! Damn, Link, we _have _to do this!" Alden shouted while tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. Link turned his head to look at his overly exuberant friend.

"Alden, we don't know anything about-" 

"Oh screw it! I don't care, come on Link we've got a month! We can practice! Come on, we could be broadcasted all over the country on thousands of TVs, fighting and being brave and all that junk," Alden was not about to give in to Link's negative outlook on the situation. He continued to stare at Link in an all most pleading way, but little did he know that Link's mind was already made up. All that was holding him back was the thought of what his aunt would say. 

"All right Al…Lets do it. Who knows, maybe it will be fun?" Link said. Alden slapped Link on the back and looked back up to the stage as Zelda's voice once again commanded their attention.

"Anyone who wants to participate in the tournament must pick up an application paper and bring it with them the day of the preliminaries. All competitors also must have their own standard sized sword, their own horse, or a source in which they can borrow one, a suitable shield, and a bow (All arrows will be provided). The mayor also wanted me to add that if the winner of the tournament happens to be a male, he will be my escort to the award ceremony. And if the winner is a girl, I will be her companion."

At this all the boys in the crowd went wild.

"I'm definitely going to try this now," Alden said. Link merely rolled his eyes in response.

"All right guys, I said I would _escort _you, not marry you," Zelda continued. "So, I will see you all on January first, and thank you for your attention. I wish you all the best of luck." At this Zelda shifted her eyes towards Link and smiled. __

_And I will be seeing **you **__soon, she thought to herself._

As Zelda took her place back by Chalen Senator Boreski walked up to the podium and dismissed the audience.

"That was very good," Chalen whispered into Zelda's ear. "I think the audience was very captivated."

"Thank you, Chalen."

Zelda watched as the crowd emptied and saw Link filing out with his class. Chalen looked at Zelda and smiled fondly when she noticed where her attention was focused.

"He's not a bad looker is he?" Koronkaven joked as she nudged the princess playfully, "I'll be damned if that isn't him," she continued wistfully. "He has the same determined eyes that I used to love." Zelda looked into her advisors eyes; she could see tears forming at their edges. Even though the princess had never truly seen Chalen's face in clear view, since it was always slightly obscured by her robes, she knew that it had to be wise and full of understanding…young even.

"You knew him that well, then?" Zelda questioned. Chalen didn't answer; instead she grabbed her pupil's hand and pulled her out of her seat.

"Let's go. You body guards are waiting for you and we have to be down at the court house for a press conference."

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

Later that day, after the remainder of school had come to an end, Link said his good byes to Alden and made his way down to the center of town to go to the grocery store to by Penda the butter she had asked for. As he boarded the public bus, all he could think about was the tournament. How was he going to get his aunt to let him participate? Penda was against everything that had to do with violence or her little boy getting hurt, especially after she discovered that he had been involved with a gang before he was even ten years old. And even if she did agree to it, where was he going to get a sword, a bow, a shield, **and** a horse? He barely got enough income from working five hours a day at Flander's Fishery to buy him decent socks.

And then it hit him.

His birthday was three days and his aunt had said that she would get him whatever he wanted. That was it, if he could manage to find some cheap second hand sword, bow, and shield, maybe he would be able to compete. Now the only problem was a horse.

When the bus finally stopped in front of Brother Lon's Groceries it was nearly 4:15 in the afternoon and Flander usually expected Link back at the docks by 5:00, he would have to hurry if he wanted to get there in time and still drop off the groceries at the Research Center. As soon as Link stepped through the doors of the store and grabbed a shopping cart he bolted to the dairy section, nearly mowing over several people as he did so, and grabbed the butter his aunt needed, along with a bottle of milk and three different types of cheese. Link also stopped by the produce section and threw several carrots and a head of lettuce into his cart for the salad he would most likely be making tomorrow for lunch. After gathering various other items Link headed up to the check out line and began unloaded the contents of his shopping cart on to the conveyor belt.

"Hey there, Slim!" Greeted a zealous looking redheaded girl at the cash register. She sounded as if she was from the southern end of Parkins for her accent was very strong and her skin very tan from the sun. Link immediately tensed up at the sound of a female voice addressing him.

"Uh…Hey," he replied meekly, avoiding all possible eye contact with the girl. The cashier obviously didn't take the hint that he didn't want to talk and pressed on in the conversation.

"Well, you look familiar, do you work on down at the Fishery by Lake Hylia? 'Cause I swear I've seen ya there! By the way, my name's Selta, glad ta meet ya!"

Link finally looked up from searching for money in his pockets and nodded shyly to Selta.

"Um, nice to meet you too. Yah…I work there. I'm actually have to be there really soon so if you could give me my thi-" Selta cut him off before he could even complete his sentence.

"Oh I knew it! Do you recognize me? I ride down there every morning on that big brown horse! You must have seen me at least once, it's hard to miss a gal on a horse, ain't it?" with that Selta finished tossing Link's groceries in a plastic bag and handed them to him with a smile. Link took them with relief, talking to the opposite sex made him feel exceedingly uncomfortable and he wanted nothing more than to be out of there.

"Well, um. Thank you…" he said as he slunk out of line and headed for the door, but that didn't stop the overly friendly Selta from calling after him.

"All righty, look for me tomorrow! I ride by the fishery at about 6:00! Be sure to say hi now!"

Link looked back and smiled sheepishly before he left the store completely and jumped on the bus departing to Lake Hylia.

The ride home was anything but exciting so Link pulled out his schoolbooks and tried to finish as much homework as he could before he arrived at the Center. When the bus pulled up at the stop Link hopped off, clutching all of his belongings, and ran into the Research Center to drop off the food in his apartment. But when he arrived on the flat Penda was waiting in front of the door with her duffle bags.

"Link! Oh Din, I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were moving so soon! I would have told you this morning," his aunt said as she took a few of the grocery bags to lighten Link's load. "Go pack your things, apparently they have already cleared out the observatory and need our apartment for some new biologists that are moving in here tonight. I'm really sorry, Hon, I know this is short notice. Just go clear out your room, all of our other things are already on their way up there.

Link nodded his head, put down all of the shopping bags and ran up to his room. It was funny to see his home empty. It reminded him of how it looked when they first moved in to the Research Center. Link opened the door to his room and looked at what he had to work with. His room was a mess. There was no way he would have time to clear out his room and get to the Fishery on time. Not waiting a second longer, Link pulled off the blankets on his bed, spread them out on the floor and began tossing all of his belongings onto them. His single lamp, his alarm, his clothes, his toothbrush, and his books al went into the blankets. He then folded them up and tugged them out of his room. It wasn't a very organized system of moving, but it was all he could do at the moment. Link struggled down the stairs and had to push his way through the front door where he was met by his aunt and several of her friends who were most likely going to help move their things.

"Wow, that was fast. What an…interesting way to pack. Oh well, it doesn't matter now. Just leave your things hear and we'll take them up to the observatory, all right? You just get on over to the fishery and I'll take it from here. You know how to get up to the observatory, yes? Because if you don't I can write you a map, and don't forget to get some dinner before you come home! I'm always reminding you but you never-" Penda stopped abruptly as Link raised his hand to silence her obsessive worrying.

"Aunt Penda, I've leaved here for years, of course I know how to get up there, and don't worry, I'll make sure to get some food down in the cafeteria. I promise! I'll see you tonight, hopefully." With that Link ran to the elevators and began his trek to Flander's.

It didn't take him half as long as he had expected it would take to get to work. Luckily he got there with only moments to spare, so he immediately began unloading the crates off the boats and brought them into the warehouse. Today work would not be as boring as normal for today he had something to look forward to. Finally he had a goal that he actually cared about…

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

The sun had already set over the horizon leaving a dark purple hue in the sky by the time Link opened the door to his new home. As his eyes adjusted to the lighting in the observatory he let out a gasp of surprise. The room was larger and more magnificent than he would have ever expected. It was tall and circular with a loft going up the backside and a small but decent kitchen to the eastern side of the room. The night sky could be seen through the glass ceiling that was in the shape of a dome; there was even a telescope in the center of the room for observing the constellations.

Link pulled off his boots and looked for the room where his things had been put. It turned out to be through the door on the western side of the main room. It was smaller than his old room but the walls and ceiling were also made of glass which obviously let in a lot more light than Link had been accustomed to in his old home which had not even had a single window. Link gazed out the side of his room out onto the lights of Parkins City. It was hard to imagine what it had possibly looked like before it was covered with skyscrapers and pavement, but all the same, it really was a beautiful sight in the night, almost eerie in fact. 

_Well, this is a lot better than my old room._

Exhausted from his day, Link decided to unpack his things the next morning before he had to go to his detention with Alsofkar. He would just have to forge his aunt's signature. She would never let him compete in the tournament if he told her and that was the last thing he wanted.

After plugging in his familiar red lamp and switching it on, Link unwrapped one of his blankets, dumped its contents into a corner of the room and placed it on his new bed. After removing his clothing so that only his boxers remained, Link pulled out his Hyland History textbook from out of his school sack, hopped into his bed, turned to the dog eared page in his book and began to reread the paragraph about the theories of the Elfin Archaeologist, Chalen Koronkaven.

_Elfin Archaeologist, Chalen Koronkaven, a highly esteemed professor at the University of Norden has written books on the topic of the Hero of Time in which she explains her theories on the different aspects of legend. Koronkaven's most distinguished hypothesis among historians is her belief that the hero of legend and the princess of destiny are actually the reincarnations of the same people who were chosen by the gods to protect the ancient land of Hyland from all the dark forces depicted in the stories. Koronkaven is considered, among historians, to be one of the most progressive minds in the world…_

Link skipped down to the bottom of the paragraph where it gave information on how to contact Chalen.

_ Chalen Koronkaven currently gives open talks and seminars at Norden and can also be reached at **C_koronkaven@Nordenedu.Un.**_

****

Link then decided that the following morning he would send Ms. Koronkaven a message, but for now, he needed to sleep.

And that night his dreams were of Zelda. Memories of a distant life flooded his mind and made his body tingle. The feeling of his hands firmly gripping the handle of a sword, the resistance when releasing an arrow from a bow, what it felt like to kill…

They were all forgotten by morning.

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to spend more time with you. No one believes you still exist…it would be too much for them," Chalen whispered to a box by her bedside.

"That's all right," replied a squeaky voice coming from the inside of the box. "It's been so long, I'm used to it."

Chalen nodded her head and opened the top of the box revealing a bright orb of blue light that floated gracefully out of the top and set itself nimbly on Chalen's shoulder.

"So do you really think it's him?" the fairy asked crossing her legs while looking up expectantly at her friend for a reply.

"I'm almost positive…he looks just like him. And Zelda said he would be there."

"But she also said he might _not _be there. It would have been better if he wasn't, right?"

"I don't know, Tenka. Maybe and maybe not, the evil might have come all the same."

Tenka looked down at her feet. The two sat in silence until Tenka spoke once again, "I thought this was all over…I wish it was. Can't we just forget it all?"

Chalen turned her head towards the window to gaze out on the city and let out a sigh. "I know…it's frightening. Sometimes I wish that too. But he needs us, and as long as he needs us we will remain at his aid. I owe it to him. We all do." 

Chalen then closed her eyes and silently prayed that the boy she had seen that day in the amphitheatre was indeed _him._

_ I promised I would always be your friend…and I never break a promise._

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

Woah, darn I'm sorry everyone I am such a liar. That took FOREVER to get out! All right, I absolutely promise that I will never take that long to update again! I SWEAR! Okay, until next time! (Which will not be that long)

~Haze


	4. Devils and Mares

Disclaimer: Does anyone really look at these? If you are actually reading this raise your hand and say "Aye!" …. That's what I thought. Yah, for those of you who don't quite grasp the concept of **FAN-FICTION** then I will inform you that I, as a matter of fact, did not create Zelda. Sorry to burst your bubble guys, be strong, you'll get over it.

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

Millennial Witness 

**_Chapter Four ~ _**_Devils and Mares_

"Hurry boys! We're expectin' a heavy snowfall by tomorraw night! Come on, we gotta get this stuff done before we have to close up shop Sunday!" Flanders' voice boomed throughout the fishery early the next morning. Every winter before snowfall he would become increasingly irritable and would drive the crewmen like slaves until all the work that could possibly be done before winter was indeed taken care of. 

While most of the men where unloading crates of trout and carp off the fishing boats, Link sat cross legged on top of a high stack of empty wooden boxes riding back to the fishery on the cargo ship that had just finished its first rounds of deliveries to the other side of the lake. In his lap was the detention slip he had received from his history teacher the previous day. Link's brow furrowed as he concentrated on the intricate little curves of his Aunt's signature, trying in vain to forge it for his parent or guardian signature.

"Oh fuck it," he muttered to himself as he erased it for the seventh time and started over.

Finally, as the cargo ship came to a slow stop on the docks, Link looked triumphantly down at his finished signature. It still looked slightly bizarre, but it was the best he could do, especially since his own signature looked as if an illiterate two year old wrote it. 

"Arian! Get off the damn boat! Don't forget, you still have to unload the Zorah's Pearl _and_ reel in the carp nets on Dock B!" shouted Calynne, the self appointed manager of the Fishery. "Oh yah, Flanders also wanted me to tell you that you have inventory duty today!" Link rolled his eyes and tucked away his detention slip. He hated it when Calynne felt like it was his duty to make sure everyone was doing their job especially since he himself hardly did anything other than clean the docks and complain about all the work he had to do.

Link hopped lightly onto the deck and turned to face Calynne and said, "I had to count the inventory _last_ week. It can't possibly my turn again. Why don't you do it? It's not like your doing anything important anyways." Calynne sighed with exasperation and placed his clipboard (that supposedly had "important information" on it) down on a pile of nets and blew a lock of black hair out of his face.

"Link, to you it may not seem like I am doing anything because I, unlike you, have unspoken responsibilities that have been placed upon me by Flanders. Now if you don't like how things are run around here I urge you to find another fishery more suited to your tastes, but if you do not wish to do that, I recommend that you take orders as they come and complete them to the best of your ability. Is that clear, Arian?"

It wasn't like Link to become angry but despite his nature, Calynne often brought him to the brink of his patience. "Aye, aye. Oh great captain of mine. I understand. Thank you for straightening me out, I really needed it," Link gave a sour smile and sarcastically saluted Calynne before he walked off toward the Zorah's Pearl. 

The Pearl was Flanders' pride and joy. It was a reasonably large fishing boat that Flanders had bought brand-new from a dealership on the Great Sea. Unfortunately, unloading it was never an enjoyable task…

Link spent the next two hours of his morning unloading crates off The Pearl and reeling in the nets on the dock and placing them in neat stacks for when winter passed. Counting inventory turned out to be easier than what Link had previously dreaded because the fishery hadn't bought any new items because of their month long break during the snowy season. By the time he finished Alden was already waiting for him outside by the shore of the lake humming a song with no rhythm and making pictures in the sand with the tip of a stick. 

Link waved out the window and hung the inventory clipboard on the wall of the storage room. As he stepped back out into the open air, ready to depart for detention with his friend, he heard the sound of galloping hooves heading towards him and a shrill shout coming from its rider. The two boys flipped around to see whoever was attempting to trample them and came face to face with an intimidating brown stallion that gave off a loud snort as he came to a jerky halt in front of Link. 

"Well, what a surprise seeing you here, Kiddo!" said the rider. It was the vivacious girl Link had met at the grocery store the previous afternoon. 

"Hey!" Alden replied before Link could even begin thinking of what to say. "I'm Alden, Link's friend. What's your name?"

Selta gave an exuberant smile and leaped of her horse to go shake Aden's hand.

"Selta, nice to meet ya! I met your friend here yesterday at my Papa's grocery store, neat huh?" Feeling that it was best to interrupt the conversation before Alden became a little too friendly Link complemented Selta's horse, which changed the subject drastically. Selta loved talking about her pets, but of course, talking was something she enjoyed no matter what the context.

"Thanks a lot! He's sure a handsome one, en't he? You probably won't be seeing a better-looking horse than Duck, here. He's a full blooded Talon horse, my family has been breeding them for centuries." The Talon breed was Hyland's oldest type of horse and a full-blooded one was very hard to come by because of how far back their ancestry went. 

"I'm sorry, what did you say your horses name was?" Alden asked, as politely as he could.

"Oh, his name is Duck."

Alden, disguised his outburst of laughter as a very terrible cough and motioned for Link to take up the conversation again.

Link was not as amused about Selta's strange choice in names for he had just come up with a plan that could help him enter the Tournament of Knights. He was just surprised he hadn't realized it sooner.

"So, how many other horses do you have? Would you ever consider renting them out?" Link asked hesitantly. Selta cocked her head and leaned against Duck. 

"Well, we've got about one hundred horses on our ranch, twenty working horses and eighty that we breed and sell, but only twenty-one of the eighty are full blood Talons. We actually do have a renting policy on our ranch, we rent out horses for the day to tourists who want to ride them around the Lake and see the sights and stuff. We give tours too, other than that though we don't really lend out our horses." Link stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. He didn't like asking for favors.

"Oh, okay…um. Yah, well, have you heard of the Tournament of Knights?"

She nodded.

"Um, I am actually going to try out for it," Alden cleared his throat, "_We_, I meant _we_. But in order for _us_ to compete we need a horse. And since you, um…have horses…I was just wondering if maybe we could borrow-no not borrow, I mean _rent. Rent_ one for the days when we will be competing with horses." When he finished his statement he looked up hopefully and smiled. Selta thought for a second then beckoned for them to get on her horse.

"Come on, my ranch is just about a mile back. I'll show you our selections," she said as she pulled herself on to Duck. Link and Alden exchanged energetic looks and followed Selta onto her oddly named giant of a stallion. For the entire ride over to the ranch the two boys showered Selta with appreciation until they road under a sign that read **Lon Brothers Ranch and Dairy** that let the visitor know they had arrived.

The ranch was enormous and completely enclosed by hills and lush shrubbery. A huge plain with dozens of horses could be found in the middle of the property with barns and enclosures surrounding it. Selta continued to ride to the farthest edge of the ranch where the renting horses were kept and stopped right in front of the entrance to the barn. Once everyone got off Duck, Selta removed his saddle and released him into the pasture.

Link watched as Duck trotted off into the center of the field and stopped just short of a little white mare with black spots that was leaping around rambunctiously trying to shake off the halter around her face. Link stared on in amusement as all the horses that were at least twice as big as the little mare ran for cover and kept their distance. 

Link now knew what horse he wanted.

Selta, noticing where Link's attention lay shook her head and said, "Oh for crying out loud, not again. That little one causes so much trouble I can hardly believe it sometimes." She turned back to Link and Alden, "Hold on, I have to catch that rascal, she shouldn't be out of her pen at this time but she escapes at least twice everyday." 

With that Selta grabbed a rope that was hanging of a fence post, clicked her tongue to call over a nearby horse, an old gray one heard her and trotted over. She quickly mounted and road to the center of the field without reins or a saddle. Within a matter of minutes she was riding back over with the wild horse to where the two boys watched in amazement.

"That was pretty impressive," Alden remarked, "All that roping and riding and stuff." Selta giggled and slid off Duck, the rope that held the mare was gripped tightly in her hand.

"I'm really sorry about that, Cinder has some…behavioral issues. She doesn't really like people very much. I really don't know why she's like this, she's a full-blooded Talon but yet she is small and she ain't friendly at all. Ah well, I love her all the same," Selta patted Cinder on her neck and tied her to the fence. Link watched the little mare, he didn't know why but he found her endearing in a way. He wished he could ride her instead of the other horses that were for rent. Cinder had character and he liked that.

Link reached out a hand to pet her, Selta watched a bit apprehensively because Cinder was known to bite when touched by strangers, but curiously enough she let Link rub her nose.

"Well I'll be," Selta sighed as she scratched her head in confusion, "Can't say that's happened before. Why, I think little ole Cinder has taken a liking to you!" Link smiled sheepishly.

"Do you think I could try to ride her?" he asked hopefully. Selta bit her lip, a worried expression appeared on her face.

"Well, are you an experienced rider?" she questioned. 

"Oh yah, he's just great!" Alden said with a serious tone, but then burst out laughing at the thought of Link trying to ride a crazy horse. Link rolled his eyes as he often did after listening to Alden and turned towards Selta.

"Not really," he replied sadly, "but I'm pretty good with animals and I think I could do it. I don't care if I get hurt or anything." And he was serious, after growing up in the rough environment that he did, pain was a familiar thing to him.

Selta sighed and shook her head, "All right, but keep in mind, Cinder doesn't even let _me_ ride her and unless you're somehow her favorite person in the world, she won't let _you_ ride her either!"

"I understand, but…I don't know…for some reason I really like this horse and if it is at all possible, I would like to use her for the Tournament." Link looked at Selta, she didn't look convinced, but he pressed on in one last attempt, "Please? If anything happens it's totally and completely my fault. No one else to blame but me."

Her expression softened. 

_Wow, it worked_, he thought to himself. _Maybe I'm getting better at talking to girls or something._

"Okay," she cracked, "I'm going to go get a saddle from the barn, while I'm gone, try and get to know Cinder a bit. Pet her a lot and feed her some of that there hay, got it?" Link nodded fervently in response and ran over the neatly stacked bales of hay and grabbed two big handfuls for his future steed.

As Link returned to where Alden was standing, which was ridiculously far away from Cinder's spot at the fence, Selta was just returning with an old worn saddle and reins that she earnestly began to place on Cinder who revolted profusely. Link watched as Selta inserted the bit in Cinder's mouth and buckled it on the other side, he noticed that the hook that held the halter on looked a bit loose, but since he didn't know anything about how to put one on, he didn't give it another thought.

Cinder reared her head up in an aggressive manner and pawed roughly at the ground as Selta tightened the girth of the saddle. Feeling uncharacteristically confident, Link approached Cinder. He couldn't explain why he felt such an affinity with the lively mare, he believed it was because she reminded her of someone. Penda, maybe?

"It's okay, relax. Good girl," he whispered to the Talon in an attempt to calm her. Link then reached out his hand and stroked Cinder's neck and to his surprise she lowered her head and stood completely still. 

"Oh my," Selta exclaimed with wide eyes, "She…_likes_ you! You're a miracle worker, Mister Link!" Alden laughed and leaned against the fence post, finding the current situation quite amusing.

Waiting a moment or two, Link slowly placed his foot in the stirrup of Cinder's saddle, kicked his other leg over in clumsy manner, and scrambled atop her back as nimbly as his body would allow him to. Selta raised an eyebrow and chuckled at Link's inexperienced mounting, while Alden slapped his knee and fell to the ground in laughter. He wasn't very good at hiding his emotions. Link looked over his shoulder and flashed Alden a rude gesture that shut him up for the time being, but unfortunately Link would present them with many more opportunities to snicker before his first riding session was through.

Calmly taking hold of the reins Link readied himself for the moment when Cinder would begin moving, but then he realized…he had absolutely no idea how to ride a horse. How could he make it go? Was he supposed to whack its back? Or maybe he just yelled, "Go horse!" 

"Um, how do I make it go?" he asked after a minute had passed. Selta smiled a condescending smile and walked to Cinder's side.

"Okay, the first thing you have to do is kick it on its sides, and-"

But before she could even finish instructing him, Link had already kicked Cinder ever so lightly on the side and off she bolted like race car going at full speed at the start of a race. Link could feel the wind rush by his face and through his loose shirt; he couldn't tell if the feeling in his stomach was fear or excitement. Either way, he knew well enough that he wasn't in a good situation.

"No, not yet!" he could hear Selta shout from behind him as his charging steed galloped swiftly onward down the field.

_Oh shit_. _Okay, just relax; all I've got to do is figure out how to direct it._

His mind sifted through every bit of knowledge he had ever attained about horse back riding. Facts from films he had seen, from people he saw ride by the lake, even from the stories he had read about the Hero of Time.

_Got it._

As Cinder reached the center of the field, Link lightly tugged on the left rein and as he had hoped, the mare made a sharp turn towards the left and continued on in the new direction.

_See nothing to be worried about. This is actually kind of fun._

And as that thought came to his mind, the latch that held Cinder's halter on finally popped off allowing the reins and headgear to slide of her face and fall to the ground with a thud. Immediately loosing his balance, Link grabbed hold of the saddle and tried to hold himself there as best he could. Turning his head backwards, Link stared in horror at the place where Cinder's halter had fallen, in the distance he could hear Selta's frantic cry and the sound of hoof beats coming across the field. He turned his head once again to see Selta riding over on another horse in an attempt to stop the runaway pony.

"Hold on to her mane!" Link heard her shout as she gestured to wear she too was holding on to the horse. He could hardly think but still managed to grab hold of the mares' snowy mane and regain his composure. His instinct told him to lean forward against Cinder's neck and put his weight towards the direction he wanted to go, he had no idea if it would work but he decided it was better to try it rather than continue riding on the back of a crazy horse until it decided to stop. Pushing his knee into the left side of Cinder's belly, the horse responded and turned to the left in an almost fluid motion.

_All right! _ He thought to himself. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his blood, this had to be the most exciting thing he had done in a long while. It was like he and the horse were moving as one, no longer separated by two minds but reacting and thinking and feeling the same things at the same time. They had bonded in a way that only a man and animal could, and nothing could break that apart. Sadly, his excitement didn't last for long because there, about ten feet in front of him was a fence that divided the females from the males and there was no time for him to avoid it. He had no choice but to go with the horse and leap over it. 

They approached the fence rapidly and before Link knew it Cinder had leaped from the ground and they both were soaring in the air as if the world was in slow motion. Link pulled himself closer to the mare's body as they felt the impact of the ground. 

"Woohoo!" Link shouted, punching a fist into the air as Cinder regained her original pace.

Together he and his steed reached the end of the ranch where Alden had remained during the fiasco and came to a complete stop as Link lightly tugged back on Cinder's flowing mane. The horse whinnied and shook her head back a bit while Link threw his leg over her back and landed in a catlike stance, back on the ground. Applauding with utter amazement, Alden rushed over from his spot atop a high bale of hay, where he had watched the whole thing unravel, and gave Link a firm pat on the back.

"Wow Buddy, I- I can't believe-I mean…what you just-" Not able to find words for what he had just seen. "What can I say? Your _crazy!"_ Breathing heavily with excitement, Link grinned back as a reply and turned to stroke Cinder's neck, and in return she lowered her head and nuzzled his shoulder affectionately. Alden cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

"I really don't understand you sometimes, Ink," Alden muttered sardonically, "Since when were you good with animals? I didn't know you knew how to ride a horse! What happened to the boring, indifferent Link I used to know?"

Link pondered the question for a moment, and replied to his friend's mockery.

"He fell off the horse a while back."

Alden tried to remain serious, but before he knew it he was laughing along with Link.

"Oh my good goddess! You are the craziest guy I have ever-_ever_ met!" 

"That's what I said!" Alden called back in response.

Selta hopped off the side of her horse holding her heart and panting. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Link looked down awkwardly.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't know she would-" but he was cut off before he could even state his apology.

"Don't be ridiculous! Are you serious that you've never ridden before? That was some damn good riding for someone who's never done it before! That horse is not only _insane_ but she was galloping a mile a minute and you were able to stay on her, even when the reins came off! Oh yah, and by the way, I am so sorry about that, I should have checked the hook before I put it on her, but anyways! If you want that horse I'll let you have her, she's yours, but you can keep her here if you like…It's not like anyone else is gonna buy her. Damn! I've been riding since I was just a little scrub and I just learned how to ride bare back and without reins, I just…I don't understand…You're just a natural I guess." With that Selta pulled out a halter from the saddlebag on the horse she had been riding and handed it over to Link.

"I picked this up once I saw you and Cinder were doing fine. Or should I say, doing great! So, here you go. She's yours, all you have to do is come over here everyday and take care of her."

Link looked down at the halter. "You mean, I don't have to pay? That's not fair, if there is anything you need done around here I'll do it for as long as you want-" 

"Link."

"Yes?"

"Just shut up and take the damn horse! Alden here told me it was your birthday soon, so there, it's a birthday gift. No charge, no fee. It's a gift."

Link was dumbfounded. This girl that he had just met the previous afternoon, who he had been deathly shy of, was giving him a pure bred Talon mare for free! Since he was not one to accept favors very often, Link knew that he would feel guilty forever if he didn't give her something in return, but what? He didn't own that many things, or at least, nothing that anyone would want.

"Selta, I don't know how to thank you, this is so incredibly generous of you. But you have to understand that I'm going to feel guilty about this forever if you don't let me do something for you in return. Would it be all right if I worked here for as long as it takes me to pay for the cost of Cinder? Then I wont feel eternally guilty, and you'll have a cost free worker. What do you say?"

Selta agreed, although reluctantly at first. After the arrangements were made, the three of them went into the stable that housed the horses that were for rent and Alden picked out a young male with a dark brown coat and black mane named Yarna.

By 6:30 the two friends were on the bus to detention but today the ride to the chamber of torture was a lot more enjoyable now that they were one step closer to trying out for the tournament.

~O~O~O~

"Got your slip?" Link asked Alden as they approached Alsofkar's classroom.

"Check."

"Patience?" 

"Sorta check."

"Endurance?"

"Yah, check."

"How about boredom?"

"Double check!"

"Excellent, okay, lets go." Reluctantly, the two boys pushed open the door to room 338 and peered in to see who else was in for a fun filled morning. Link looked at the right side of the room…no one, then to the left…

_Shit._

"Oh, woopdidoo," Alden groaned as they both discovered who they would be spending the next two hours with. There, sitting in the back corner of the room was none other than Jelk Garnem, the schools resident jock and jerk. All around him sat his cronies, looking as stupid as ever, and in the center of the back row was Makellin Ooru, the boy who was unanimously agreed, most likely to end up in prison for homicide before age eighteen.

Wanting to avoid any confrontation, Link and Alden took seats on the opposite side of the room from Jelk and his gang of obtuse cronies. In detention, students weren't able to talk to one another, but Alsofkar hadn't arrived yet, which meant that anything could happen.

"Hey! If it's not our good friend, Arian and his sidekick, Felta! Why don't you guys come sit over hear with us?" called Jelk who was slumped in his chair in the far corner. A malicious grin crossed his face.

Alden's body went rigid. Link hated to see his friend like that, it was amazing how one person could affect him so drastically, he was no longer Alden anymore, he was Hickboy. It wasn't like Alden to fight back, he just shrank back from his attacker and let them hurt him in anyway they liked. For a while, Link had been that way too, but now, he was becoming less and less tolerant, and more and more like the way he used to be. But even so, he had become so conditioned to follow the persona of The Little Guy or the Southerner that he lost touch with himself, and as he continued to age, it became harder and harder for him to break out of that shell he had created to protect himself. That was why it was so hard for people to get close to him…he didn't want them too.

"Naw, that's all right, Garnem. It smells a lot better over here for some reason," Link shot back with a crooked smile.

Jelk's friends stopped laughing and two rose from their seats and climbed over the rows of desks until they were looking right down on Link. He hadn't noticed how much taller they were than himself while they were sitting down.

"Trying to be funny, Scrub?" One asked contemptuously. Link could feel Alden's discomfort having them so nearby. That was what they always did before they decided to become violent.

"No," he answered. The two boys seemed to simmer down at that until, "I was being honest."

Without another warning one crony swung a punch directly at Link's face, before he even realized what happened the force of the blow had thrown Link against a desk and he found himself lying on the floor, his lip bleeding drops of blood and the back of his head throbbing from the impact of the desk. The back corner erupted in laughter, each boy yelling some type of offensive comment at Link. Although, this wasn't an unusual happening, Link couldn't even remember all the times that one of Jelk's flunkies had punched him causing him to bleed, but this time, Link wasn't as patient. 

Link could feel the anger bubbling inside him, rising like the lava in a volcano; he was not going to let them get away with that again. He was sick of the way he was treated and of the way people thought of him, it wasn't natural for him to take a beating and not fight back, but yet he had let them for as long as he could remember. He felt so angry, he couldn't even recognize where it came from. The way he had been acting recently was so different, Link felt like a different person. What was happening to him? He didn't know why, or what had caused it, but for some unknown reason…he was changing.

Link's attacker stepped back, preparing to give him another kick to the stomach. It was too soon, Link hadn't recovered from the first blow; he wouldn't be able to stop him or get away. Link gritted his teeth and prepared for the kick, but surprisingly it never came. He looked up and stared in awe at the scene in front of him. 

"Get off of me you piece of-" grunted the boy as he tried in earnest to wriggle out of the hold that Makellin now had around his neck. Although Link's offender was large, he was nothing compared to the size of Makellin who stood at least a foot higher than him. 

"Get up," said Link's savior. Link immediately complied and pulled himself up. "Don't fuck with Arian again, got me?" The crony tried to resist but when he realized that this was a battle he would not be winning, he stopped struggling and nodded angrily. Makellin released the bully and pushed him towards the direction where the rest of his gang sat open mouthed. Makellin turned back to Link and smiled.

_Weird._

Link smiled back in a skeptical way. Why would Makellin, the most reclusive boy in the entire school, help the wimpiest boy in the entire school, especially when he had never even spoken a word to Link. 

"Why did you help me?" he asked so that only Makellin could hear. The yellow-eyed boy raised his right arm revealing a black tattoo that graced his shoulder and read "Devils", underneath it was a detailed drawing of a moblin like creature. 

"Because, Screech…We run with the Devils."

~O~O~O~

Okay, yes I admit it, I take FOREVER to write. I'm sorry everyone, I guess I'm just a really slow writer, I really try to do it fast though. Sorry again! Now I'm a liar and a slow writer! Bah! This chapter wasn't even very exciting either. But I've already started the next chapter and have the outline all planned out. It's going to be an exciting chapter so buckle your seat belts kiddies…yah….not funny. Haha. I'm going to go write more now, since it has been proven how long I take. Oh yah, and just to tell you, the tournament isn't the main conflict in this story!

~Haze


	5. Memory

Woohoo!!! You weren't expecting this, were you??? An update gasp and it hasn't been two months either! Wow, this is a cause for a celebration, I'll bring the corn chips and cake!

Oh yah, also, there have been some requests to state exactly who has been reincarnated so I'll tell you the obvious ones. The only reason I haven't stated it bluntly is because I wanted it to be revealed as the story went on, but don't worry, you will have a better understanding of everyone after this chapter…

**Link** the reincarnation of Link (gasp)

**Zelda** the reincarnation of Zelda

**Selta** not a reincarnation, but from the bloodline of Malon

**Cinder** bred from the bloodline of Epona

Um, anyone other than that will not be revealed because it will ruin the story…sorry, that wasn't very informative, it was actually pretty pointless. You all knew that already didn't you?

OOO

Millennial Witness 

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Chapter five Memory 

OOO

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"Arn's Devils…how ironic," Alden muttered.

It was an hour after detention and Link found himself staring into the screen of a computer in the Research Center's lab room, ignoring Alden as hard as he could, while reliving the bizarre events that occurred during the day, and at the same time trying to write a decent email to Chalen Koronkaven, regarding her unusual philosophies on Hyland Folklore.

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"I mean…what are the odds? Meeting the very same guy, who lived on the very same street, and was in the very same gang as you were when you lived on Arn Lane; and not only that, but he's been going to school with you for _years_ and you didn't even notice! Are you getting senile or something?" Alden stared at Link hard, expecting an answer.

Link touched the cut on his lip and frowned, remembering who had inflicted it upon him. He had nearly forgotten the minor wounds he had received when he had been struck with astonishment once he discovered that his school's most intimidating and frightening student had been his fellow gang member, and not to mention friend, back when he lived in the West side.

_"Because Screech…we run with the devils."_

That was what he had said, and at first, Link hadn't the slightest clue what he was talking about. Devils? Screech? Where did that come from? Link's first assumption had been that Makellin was a bit off his rocker; but the longer he thought about it, he knew what the boy was referring to. Screech was the name Link had been given by the leader of the Devils, the night he had been officially accepted into the Devils. The reason Link hadn't recognized Makellin was because he had only known him by his gang name, Boomer. The only time they had actually addressed each other by their true names was before their initiation. That had also been the night he went on his first raid with Makellin.

It felt like it had happened so long ago…he had nearly forgotten.

_"Ready Link?" asked Makellin with a half smile as he pulled on his black, leather gauntlets and cracked his knuckles menacingly. Link barely heard him. He was so nervous he could hardly take it; in just a matter of minutes he and Makellin would be given a test, a test that would judge whether or not they would be in the gang, whether or not he would be granted safety. Truthfully, Link really did not want to pass. He didn't want to hurt people; he was only a little boy, not even close to the age of puberty. All he wanted was to feel accepted, to be a part of something. And most of all to feel wanted._

_ He was willing to do anything for that._

"Link?" Makellin repeated, childish concern crossing his face. Although he tried to keep his composure at all times, sometimes there were moments when he couldn't help but act like a little boy…but those moments rarely came up. He immediately wiped the expression of emotion off his face and replaced it with the same cold grimace that normally graced his dark face.

_Link looked up from his feet and nodded in agreement, trying to look as confident as Makellin, which was near impossible. For only being the age of nine, Makellin looked far beyond his years; despite his childlike size, he had the build of a teenager with the strength of an adult and his expression rarely strayed from that of a wild animal, giving him a much more frightening appearance._

_I don't want to do this; complained the knot in Link's stomach._

_ "Yah, I'm okay," Link lied as he brushed off the dust on his torn jeans and pushed himself off the ground. "Ready to go?" he stuttered. Makellin smiled mischievously in return._

_ "Now you're talking."_

_Together, the two boys walked out the side door of the abandoned warehouse that the Devils used for their base and stepped out into the cold night air where the rest of the gang sat waiting for them in a circle. The boys began to howl and shout the Arn war cry, the anthem that was created when rivalry between the two streets had just started._

_Ambi's Way, come down our Lane,_

_ No Dragons feared,_

_Just Devils here,_

_We'll burn your breath and kill your kin,_

_Our pride won't die in the devils eye!_

_ Link could feel his body reverberate with the desire to laugh. What a lame song._

_ Jinx, the leader of the Devils stood up from his perch on the stone wall of the baron courtyard and took his place on top of an old cinder block which the group used as a make shift podium. He too was dressed in Arn's colors with baggy black pants and a dark red hooded sweatshirt, his sandy colored hair lay tied back in a loose pony tail which accented the golden hoop earring that hung from his right ear._

_ All became silent as Jinx's eyes commanded their unwavering attention; he motioned for Link and Makellin to make their way into the center of the circle. Link reluctantly stepped forward, trying at all costs to avoid eye contact with the any of the boys in the massive group, especially Jinx. Whispers immediately began to circulate throughout the crowd, remarks on their appearance and supposed ability could be heard, but Link tried as he could to ignore them, the last thing he wanted was to become nervous._

_ Jinx smiled condescendingly down at them from a top his thrown of power, his bronze eyes reflecting the silver beam of the moon._

_ "So, you guys going to introduce yourselves, or what?" he remarked, breaking the silence. His voice startled Link. What should he say? How should he act? Should he wait for Makellin to go first? He couldn't decide._

_ "I'm Makellin Ooru," he presented himself with confidence which appeared to impress Jinx, or at least for the most part._

_ Crap, my turn._

_ Link swallowed hard and raised his head to look straight into his leaders eyes, ignoring all fear that he had ever felt, he spoke boldly and loudly; "And…my name is Link Arian."_

_ And it was gone. The fear. It vanished. Like a rainbow on a cloudy day…it just disappeared. Link smiled to himself. He could do this._

_ "Well, now that the introductions have been done, I guess it's time to present you boys with your little test. Strats, give me the plans." To Link's surprise a young girl, not much older than himself, with long fiery hair, stepped from out of the shadows carrying a large rolled up piece of paper that she eagerly handed to Jinx. She appeared to be an assistant of sorts, maybe even one of the leaders. Link could tell by her expression that she was not a girl that could easily be pushed around. Her stance was strong and her arms remained crossed over her chest, she had an alternative motive, but Link couldn't quite put his finger on it._

_ Power…she wants power, Link's conscience told him._

_ Jinx took the parcel without a word and stepped down from the cinder block; kneeling to the ground he unrolled it and motioned for Link and Makellin to kneel as well. Link watched Makellin out of the corner of his eye, earnestly studying the map that lay out in front of them, was he actually making sense of it? _

_ Jinx removed the black glove on his right hand and pointed down to a location on the edge of the map labeled base._

_ "This is where we are," Jinx announced. "And this," he made a line with his finger across the page, "is where you have to go, the Dragon Fort." The rest of the gang watched along with Link and Makellin, equally interested. "Now, the first thing you guys have to do is make it past all the Dragon scouts by the borders and lookout posts without getting caught, because you know what happens then." There was a murmur of agreement throughout the crowd. Link could feel his stomach clench all over again._

_ Caught?_

_ He hadn't considered that factor._

_ "Simple enough, right" Jinx continued, not leaving a moment to ponder. "All right, now when you get past the main border, which or course is 32nd Street, go down the alley way behind the department store, that's a shortcut to the Dragon's main fort. If you go on about seven more blocks, you'll see the old rundown cinema, that's where all those Dragon whores hang out," some of the boys in the crowd snickered at that last remark, but Link couldn't see the humor. _

_ "What exactly are you having them do their, Jinx?" joked a tall, teenaged boy in the front row of the circle, Jinx cast him a scowl and continued._

_ "Anyway, turn right at the theatre and go on until you make it to the vacant lot by the river, but make sure you guys are keeping yourselves well hidden, the last thing you want is to be spotted, especially at this time of night when scouts are prowling. Okay, right here you'll see a dumpster leaned against the wall of an old elementary school with the Dragon tag on it, push it aside and there will be a small hole in the wall, about the size for you to climb through, so climb through it. Congrats, you're in the Dragons new fort. The idiots don't even know that we followed them there last week. _

_ "So, now comes the hard part, no one from the Devils has actually gone in there since the hole in the wall is too small for all of us. What you have to do is find the main room where they store all of their maps, plans, and weaponry, I have no fuckin' idea where it is, so that's all up to you two. Your test is to avoid all the goons running around that place and find that room, if you each come back with one of their maps of plans, you pass the test, if you don't come back with one, or in that case, if you don' come back at all, you obviously fail." Jinx finished his instructions and stood back on his feet, map in hand._

_ "You got that?"_

_ Link and Makellin nodded heads emphatically, each eager to prove themselves. Jinx rolled up the map and handed it over to Link._

_ "All right then, we'll all be waiting for you in front of the Bowling Alley on the corner of Fort Street at twelve midnight, you don't come after ten minutes, you've failed," Jinx eyed the two boys with skepticism. "By the way, try to avoid anyone wearing golden earrings, it's a sign of authority," Jinx thoughtfully reached up to his own earring and smiled proudly. "They could break your necks without question." Makellin, unintentionally, made a sharp choking noise, which Jinx ignored completely. "Well, kiddies…go."_

_ "Good luck," shouted the young girl called Strats, Jinx nodded his agreement and Link and Makellin valiantly walked out of the courtyard and onto the busy streets of the West. The two walked in silence for some time until they approached the border of their side, but still as they moved closer to danger, Link felt no fear. He was a soldier invading the base of an enemy, he was a warrior on his way to battle, he was enervated and ready; this was what he was. This was how he was meant to be._

_ "I wonder what our names will be," Makellin said with excitement, once they stopped at the corner that marked the end of safety. _

_ "Names?" Link asked curiously. Makellin looked at dully._

_ "Yeeeah, you know, they give you names after your first test, according to how you acted during it," he exclaimed. "Didn't you know that 'Jinx' wasn't really his name?"_

_ Link hadn't thought about it before. It was kind of a funny name._

_ "Well, how would they know how you acted?" he questioned further. _

_His companion scanned the area and whispered into Link's ear, "They've got a tracker following us right now, they run back before we do to tell everyone how we did," Makellin pulled away quickly and acted as if he had just been pointing out something across the street, just incase whoever their follower was saw them._

_ Now Link felt an even greater need to succeed._

_ "How did you know they did that?" Link spoke in an undertone that only his friend could hear. A strained expression etched its way on to Makellin's face and Link almost thought he had seen his companion's eyes glisten with moisture. Had he said something wrong? That was just like him…always saying the wrong things. _

_Makellin remained rigid._

_ "Okay, enough talk, lets go," Makellin finally stated, tightly closing his eyes and walking ahead of Link straight onto enemy territory, without looking back._

_ Here we go._

_ The boys traveled swiftly and in the shadows, avoiding all contact with strangers and frantically checking their watches to make sure they still had enough time. As they came closer to the heart of Ambi territory, they saw more and more people clad in matching green and gray color codes; every so often they would receive suspicious glances but were shrugged off for their insignificant size and age. Link and Makellin took turns being the map-reader and the look out, always staying astute and cautious. An hour passed before they came to their first guide point, the cinema._

_ "Wow, Jinx wasn't lying," said Makellin as his eyes traced the front of the cinema, which was swarming with older girls who were scantily clad and hanging over any Dragon guy in a square mile. Link just nodded his head, not really sure of what he was referencing._

_ Link suddenly felt a fit of uneasiness take over him; he pulled his hood far over his face and turned down the street, heading for the river, eager to escape the enemies view. But then, as Makellin followed his lead, a shout came frame the front of the theatre._

_"Smokes! Look! Are those two little Devils I spy?" commented one of the girls leaning against a stop sign, looking pleased with her observation. An intimidating young man turned his shaggy head towards where the girl was pointing and smiled a crooked smile; he signaled to his comrades that he would take care of the pesky intruders on his own. _

_"Why I think it is. Where you little guys headed?" the one called Smokes asked in a cutesy voice._

_"Shit," mumbled Makellin stopping dead in his tracks. "What should we do?" he whispered to Link hastily. Link stood staring blankly back at Makellin and shook his head, it seemed that in the shock, his voice had turned off completely._

_They were caught._

_Not receiving a reply, Makellin immediately took on a fighting stance and looked directly into the eyes of Smokes. Link's mind went blank and his instincts took over, this wasn't a game, it was very real and if he didn't do something fast, he and Makellin could be seriously- maybe even fatally, hurt._

_"You kiddies know where you are?" Asked the soon to be attacker as he rapidly approached, the rest of the scouts leaned against the cinema walls, expecting an entertaining show. Nothing was funnier than a pair of little kids crying for their moms._

_Neither boy answered. This amused Smokes._

_"What? You scared little babies?" He was nothing but a few feet away, so close that Link noticed a small glittering earring hanging delicately off his right ear. _

_He must be this group's leader._

_Makellin detected the same thing, without another word he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blade, hoping it would prove useful._

_It didn't._

_"Ohh, wow, better watch out!" called a younger member of the group who was preparing to join in on the pounding once it initiated._

_"Whatcha gonna do with that? You know, babies shouldn't be runnin' with sharp objects!" snickered another._

_No one had for seen what happened next, it happened in a flash. Smokes walked straight up to Makellin with hardly any warning and swung at him with amazing force, causing him to fall onto the concrete with a crack and drop his knife beside him. The group of Dragons laughed hysterically, this would be better than they expected._

_"You okay wittle kid?" Smokes prodded, as if he were concerned. "You know, you look familiar. You got a brother or something? Cause I swear I've beat up someone who looks a hell of a lot like you!" He then kicked Makellin in the stomach for humor. "D'you hear me? Are you deaf kid?"_

_Link felt a burning emotion in his chest. Pride…pride for his gang. No person could just come up to his friend and hurt him without paying a price. All sense inside him disappeared, all logic left his body for he was no longer himself, he was an animal working solely on instinct._

_In a second, Link had snatched the knife Makellin had dropped on the ground and shoved Makellin's attacker with his shoulder, forcing Smokes off his balance and allowing just enough time for Makellin to get to his feet again. A bit disconcerted by Link's sudden change in character, he too threw his entire body weight on to the scout knocking him completely onto his back with a thud. Smokes let out a surprised yelp and immediately pushed the two younger boys off of him and struggled to get back up, but Link wasn't finished yet. Without giving it one thought, he leaped onto Smokes' back and clung on for his life as the big galoot thrashed underneath him in an endeavor to save his bruised pride._

_Acting quickly, Link unwrapped his arm from around the wild Dragon's neck and reached down towards his ear where that single, taunting earring dangled like bait, gripped it, and yanked downward with a sharp jerk. Smokes let out a whimper of pain, which in an instant, changed to anger._

_The other Dragons stopped laughing, their mouths opened wide. _

_Makellin stood shocked. Did that little shrimp just do what he thought he did?_

_Once reoriented, the shortest Dragon ran to Smokes' aid. After ripping out an old gutter pipe from the side of an abandoned building, he approached Link from the back and whacked the pipe over his head. Link's mind went blurry for a split second as he hit the floor, but before the scouts could lay another hand on him, Makellin had already pulled himself off the ground and come to his rescue by kicking the Arn Dragon in the gut with all the force he could muster and then followed up by slugging him in the chin. Pulling Link over his shoulder with one swift movement he blew the Dragons a kiss with his bloodied lip and bolted down the street, heading straight towards the river. _

_The gang was gaining on him faster than he had predicted, with the extra weight of Link, he couldn't run to his full capacity. Luckily, a few moments later Link began to regain feeling in his body, he then jumped off Makellins back and continued to run along side him as fast as his body would let him. They could hear the angry Dragon Scouts running at full speed behind them, incredibly frustrated for not taking the two "babies" more seriously._

_"Wha-what are we going to do?" panted Makellin, whose eye was beginning to swell from the impact of the blow to his face._

_ Link racked his brain for an idea, but unfortunately the constant throbbing that was currently coming from his head hindered his thought process._

_ Now smokes was barely ten feet away._

_ Something. Come on, think of **something**__!_

_ "Jump!" Makellin finally shouted._

_ "What?!" Link responded, dumbfounded._

_ "I mean jump in the fucking river, damn it!"_

_ "Are you serious?"_

_ "Do you have a better idea?" Link didn't reply. "That's what I thought!"_

_ They were nearly to the river's edge. Link prepared himself to jump, holding his arms close against his body while tightly clutching his bloody trophy, the golden earring. He pushed off from the wooden dock and fell ten feet down until he and Makellin finally hit the murky water with a splash. When the two boys finally resurfaced and spat out the brown liquid, which they unintentionally swallowed, they could hear the anguished cries of humiliation coming from above the boardwalk. Makellin and Link silently snickered in unison from their hiding spot under the boardwalk, as Smokes shouted endless amounts of threats out over the river, knowing that they could hear him, wherever they were. And Link found his warning of revenge unquestionably funny, for he could never have predicted the truth and honesty in Smokes' words. _

_OOO_

_ "That was awesome!" Makellin exclaimed, once he and Link had found a safe shore alongside the river in which they could climb up. "Did you see that loser's face when you yanked that thing out of his ear? Hysterical!" Link couldn't help but blush with pride; he had been brave in the face of danger, remained loyal to his comrade when he was in need, and came out with only a badly swollen head. If only he could have told his Aunt, but of course, she would find his acts of violence anything but respectable._

_ I wonder what my name will be, Link thought hopefully, maybe Killer, or Fighter, or…something cool like that._

_ Makellin pulled off his waterlogged sweatshirt and squeezed the water out. Luckily, the West side of Parkins City was a desert, so it was not terribly uncomfortable to amble around the streets in sopping wet clothes._

_ "We better get going, it's already ten," stated Link after looking at his watch. "Do you still have the map?" Makellin immediately began searching his pockets for the mandatory item, but instead pulled out nothing but a soggy mash of paper._

_ "Uh oh," stated Makellin simply. "That's bad." _

_ Link slapped his own head in discouragement._

_ "Makellin, how are we going to find the base, now? Who knows how far we floated down the river!" The two boys scrambled up the sloping shore and looked at their surroundings. The area was relatively empty in comparison to the non-stop hustle of Central Parkins, but there were still some wanderers and locals meandering through the streets and stores. Makellin pulled himself up on to a nearby trashcan and surveyed the area; his eyes darted back and forth without rest until they finally locked on something familiar. _

_ "I know this place, sort of. I came here once with-," Makellin stopped abruptly, biting his lip, it was as if he had nearly said a dirty word and caught himself. "With my…brother. He had a girlfriend here once, Harma, I think. She lived by that post office over there," Makellin pointed feebly down the street towards a run down building with a symbol of a Ritoh man flying on the front window. Link examined the nearby buildings on the street and saw that a gang had tagged every single one of them, but to his surprise, it was neither the markings of a Devil or a Dragon. As he studied the graffiti on the stonewall and deciphered the near illegible scribbles, he finally realized that the words were "The Dead."_

_ Funny, I've never heard of that gang before. The Devils, the Dragons, and the Dead. They're all D words. _

_"Makellin, have you ever heard of a gang called The Dead?" Link finally asked. _

_Makellin thought for a moment and then replied, " It sounds familiar. I think it's some new gang of grown up guys. From what I've heard, they're trying to take total control over the West. Yeah right, what a bunch of old losers." _

_Link nodded his head, "Yah." _

_"Well, anyways, if I'm right, I think we only floated about ten blocks down, if we go that way," Makellin pointed down an empty street, "we'll make it back to the fort in no time." Link agreed and the two young Devils marched down the sidewalk, leaving a wet trail of footprints. As they left the desolate neighborhood, Link took one last look at the excessive amount of graffiti, and made a mental note not to forget the name The Dead. It could be important…eventually…_

_As Makellin had calculated, they arrived in front of the abandoned school that was one of the Dragon's main hideouts. Unfortunately, word traveled fast among efficient gangs and it had apparently been leaked out that two pint sized Devils were rampaging perilously close to the fort earlier that night. The entire street was swarming with gangsters, old and young alike._

_"How lucky," Makellin commented as he poked his head out from behind a wall and viewed the scene. "There's no way we're getting in now."_

_But Link already had a plan. He had heard some kids by the bus stop talking about a meeting the Dragons would be holding on the first floor of the school. The meeting would begin in five minutes and would last until 11:40. Just long enough for them to do their job._

_In no time at all, Link and Makellin were looking down upon the dumpster which covered the secret entrance from the top of the roof. They had walked around the entire block and came back around from behind the school and climbed up the rusty fire escape to the top of the two-story building, the plan had worked flawlessly. Luckily, the Dragons hadn't even been smart enough to guard the back of the building; didn't they know of the secret entrance to their own fort? _

_One after another, the boys clung like monkeys to the drainage pipe and slid down to the ground, landing neatly next to the dumpster which they eagerly pushed aside, revealing their long sought for destination. The entrance. Now the fun really began. Without saying a word to the other, they silently slid through the miniscule hole and emerged underneath a row of dusty bleachers, which they soon found was inside an empty and dark gymnasium. It was curiously tranquil within the walls of the fort. Were they expecting them?_

_After waiting a minute or two, Makellin eventually became antsy and headed for the door on the opposite side of the room, slowly pushing it open and looking both ways down the hall. It was clear. He motioned for Link to follow._

_"Now, if you were a stupid idiot, where would you put all of your maps and plans?" Link mumbled to himself, not expecting an answer from his companion, but surprisingly received a hollow chuckle._

_He's showing emotion. That's unusual._

_"Let's just look everywhere, we'll have to find the room eventually, Makellin suggested. Link agreed._

_ They searched every room, in every corridor, on every floor, and when they where finally ready to explode with exasperation, Makellin threw open the door to a janitors closet and down fell several large scrolls of paper. Equally relieved at their find, the two spies sifted through the different diagrams, chose a couple that appeared most useful and stuffed the remaining maps back where they belonged._

_ "Its eleven forty-five," Link announce with disbelief. "The Dragon's meeting should be ending now! We've got to get out of here!" Makellin nodded earnestly._

_ Echoes of footsteps could be heard pounding up the ramps of the school and the only apparent exit was the fire escape around the corner. Link and Makellin dashed down the hall, slid around the corner, making light skid marks with the heels of their feet, and frantically pushed open the glass window leading to the fire escape. The voices were becoming louder now, closer. _

_ "Hurry!" Makellin urged as Link practically fell down the steps. When they reached the ground they didn't even stop to congratulate themselves, there was only fifteen minutes left before they completely failed the test. In order to spare time, Makellin grabbed Link's arm and tugged him on to the nearest bus heading for Fort Street._

_ It's almost over. Just relax, Link tried to calm himself as he nervously watched the hands on his clock tick at an alarming rate. Makellin merely slumped in his seat and examined his map, looking calm and collected as usual. When their stop finally came, Link was the first to exit the bus and spot the congregation of Devils in front of the bowling alley. _

_ A tall, lean boy stood bent over and panting next to Jinx, but he was still speaking fast and using many different arm gestures. Link decided that he must have been the tracker. The boy had to be given some credit for the crazy trails he had just followed, Link almost felt guilty for taking the bus. Did he have to run along beside it?_

_ "It-it was crazy! You should have- seen them…" the tracker spoke in between sharp intakes of breath. "That kid just ripped that ring right out from his ear…they beat the shit out of them…Smokes shrieked like a girl, oh god it was great…" Jinx raised an eyebrow and looked down on the little kids he had obviously taken for granted._

_ "Well kiddies, sounds like you had some fun. Got the maps?" Link and Makellin said nothing and handed Jinx what he asked for. The leader took them, looked the sheets over, and passed them over his shoulder to the girl called Strats and said, "Memorize these." The girl took the plans and tucked them in her backpack. She raised her head and locked eyes with Makellin. She smiled and looked away, pretending as if she had seen something of importance. _

_ Jinx crossed his arms and grinned in a fox like way. The entire group was silent, save for the Tracker's heavy breathing, but still Jinx elongated the suspense. Link's fingers twisted uneasily in his pockets._

_ "Welcome to the Devils, boys."_

"Link? Um…_Link?_ LINK!" Alden shouted, trying to wake up his comatose friend. Link snapped out of it once Alden started to poke him in the shoulder. He was staring at the screen of his computer where his long finished letter flickered underneath the fluorescent lighting. How long had he been spacing out?

"Oh, sorry. I guess that punch did more to my thought process than I thought," Link joked.

"Yup, guess so," Alden agreed. "So are you going to go?"

Link furrowed his brow, he hadn't heard Alden's previous sentence. "Go where?"

"To Makellin's- um, gang place…hideout…thingy," Alden rolled his eyes.

"Oh, right. He did ask me to come visit, didn't he?" Link thought on it for a moment. He had left many friends behind when he moved, and it would be nice to see his old neighborhood again. "Well, yah, I guess I will."

"Good. They could help you train for the tournament. Try outs are only in a few weeks and we don't even have any weapons!" Alden then jumped off the computer desk and headed for the door. "I'm going to get something to eat in the cafeteria. Coming?"

Link shook his head. "I still have to send my email and everything. I'll see you later, okay?" Alden shrugged and went on his way. Link turned his thoughts back to his email and began to proofread it; he preferred not to have any errors in a message that would be read by an educated scholar. Once he had thoroughly analyzed each and every sentence of his letter, he took a deep breath and pressed _send_.

Well, Chalen. Let's see what you think of this. 

OOO

"Chalen, I don't think I can possibly fit anything else into my head right now. It's going to explode," Zelda confessed to her personal tutor. The two of them had been sitting in the Legislative Building's library for seven and a half hours, studying and schooling Zelda in all the areas of education she had missed out on when attending military school.

"All right Zelda, you've learned about a thousand years of history within these last few hours, you deserve a break," Chalen replied, beginning to pack up her materials.

"Thank you very much, Chalen. I really appreciate everything, I just…I need to think." Chalen nodded her head, understandingly. It amazed her to think that this was the same blunt, rude girl that had come to her only a few months before; she had become a new person. Caring, still blunt occasionally, but all in all very admirable and wise.

_But I guess that's just a given, isn't it?_ Chalen thought to herself with a smile.

"Well, goodnight," with that Zelda nodded her head to Chalen and left the library.

Alone Chalen sat, organizing her things and silently thinking to herself until a little alarm in her mind went off and she remembered that she hadn't checked her email. Now that she was alone, Chalen pulled the gray hood of her robes down, revealing her surprisingly young, jubilant face. She logged on to her account.

It read:

**1 new message**

Chalen clicked on her inbox; curious as to whom it was from. Ever since she resigned from her job as a university professor, she rarely received any mail at all.

The message appeared on her screen with a flash.

**From:** LArianHyliaResearch.Un

**Subject:** Hyland Folklore

Ms. Koronkaven,

How are you? I attend Parkins Academy for the Gifted and my history class recently read an excerpt from your book, "History of a Hero", and I have to say that I find your research fascinating. Your perspective on the topic is so progressive and unusual it even managed to get me interested in Elfin Archaeology! Now that's saying something. I also understand that you give open seminars at the University of Norden, could you possibly give me the times that these occur? I know you must have a very busy schedule, but if you happen to find the time, I would very much appreciate it.

Thank you!

Link Arian

Chalen's heart nearly stopped beating when she laid eyes upon whom it was from. Link? _Her_ Link? The same boy who had haunted her thoughts and dreams for as long as she could remember? Could this really be such a strange coincidence? Chalen felt the palms of her hands sweat with excitement, for inside her heart, she knew that there _were_ no coincidences.

Only destiny.

Chalen waited no longer. She immediately began to write her reply, even if he wasn't the person she so very much hoped it was. All that mattered was that she contacted him, for time was growing short and Chalen knew that it was only a matter of time before she would desperately need him. Before the _world_ would need him.

The time was drawing nearer.

Please, Goddesses I pray to you. Let this be him… 

****

****


	6. Reunion

Hey everyone! I know that no one likes to hear excuses but the reason I haven't updated for a long time is because my old ass computer totally crashed so I had to retype this entire chapter purely by memory, which really sucked because I had really liked it, however this version is much better. But first I had to buy a new computer (not a bad thing) and install Microsoft Word. So, furthermore, I am terribly sorry and frustrated that this chapter took so long to come out. But enough talk, here is chapter six! (Finally)

:::

Millennial Witness

Chapter six Reunion

The sun was setting by the time Link stepped off the bus in the East end of Parkins, the side he was least familiar with due to how it was mainly made up of old rich snobs and successful politicians. Not exactly Link's social class. But even so, hardly anyone was out on the street which made it look even more perfect than it already was; practically every shop was closing, save for a few coffee shops and drug stores. No wonder he had never visited this side of town before, absolutely nothing happened.

Link gazed out upon the clean sidewalks and fresh cut grass that decorated the neighborhood, it was peculiar, but he felt surprisingly comfortable in this part of town, despite how ritzy it was compared to all the neighborhoods he was used to. He almost felt as if he were at home. It was just so relaxing to stand and admire the different buildings with their rich architecture, and the charming water fountains scattered along the parkway. Link could have stalled there for the rest of the night, but he knew he had an engagement that he could not afford to miss.

Earlier that evening, Link had received a reply to his letter from the Elfin Archaeologist, Chalen Koronkaven, informing him that she no longer gave open seminars because she had recently resigned and taken up, "A job with a tad more excitement," as she had put it in her letter. Although, Chalen offered to meet with him in an old children's recreational area on the Eastern side of Parkins, to have a more in depth discussion regarding the topics Link had found so interesting about her research. When he first read her request, he indeed found it a bit odd that a total stranger, who for all he knew could be a psychotic murderer, wanted to meet with him in the middle of the night in a secluded park, but he had sensed no danger, thus he was now briskly on his way to the location she had instructed him to meet her at.

As the sun slowly began to descend over the horizon Link picked up his pace, scuttling down the street like a nervous mouse, racing the setting sun. Why did the sun always seem to set at the worst times?

_Too bad I can't manipulate time_, Link complained sarcastically, chuckling at his own joke. But as the thought came to his mind, a bizarre feeling washed through him; the same feeling that had been nagging at him for the past few days. It made his body feel shaky and unstable, like he couldn't remember who or what he was. Link felt himself shudder as the strange phenomenon finally left his body and he reoriented himself and started walking again. He couldn't let this…sickness, or whatever it was, get the better of him. There was too much to be done.

_Goddesses, I really need some sleep_.

By the time Link finally found his way to the entrance of the Deku Children's Recreational Park, the sky was completely black and all that kept him from blindly walking into trees was the weak light given off from the street lights and the beams of yellow from the headlights of passing cars. But as Link found himself meandering through the labyrinth like trails of the park, the lights from the city were eventually drowned out by the looming shadows of the surrounding trees, leaving him with nothing to see by but the few lamps that were spread widely throughout the park. For awhile he felt lost and knew he would have to wait out the night underneath a damp picnic bench until the morning sun shone, but he walked on, squinting in order to make out where he was heading and breathing quietly to hear every forest noise; he was determined to find Chalen. Even if it took him all night, he _would_ find her.

And finally he came upon the silhouette of an enormous play structure that was sculpted out of wood and molded to look as if it were a prehistoric tree. It was quite an amazing design, there was a small door at the front of the trunk which lead to a latter in the center of the tree which allowed children to climb up to many different levels of branches, going as high as forty feet, and look out on the entire forest. Link couldn't help but smile at the old tree and vainly wish that he could have spent his childhood frolicking around this park and playing silly games with his friends while his loving parents sat nearby on a quaint wooden bench and happily watched him enjoy his day without worry. But no, his childhood had been robbed from him; his _happiness_ had been torn away before he was even old enough to talk. He had never experienced the feeling of his mother tucking him into bed, or of his father first teaching him how to ride a bike, he hardly even knew what it meant to have a parental figure. Yes, he did have his Aunt Penda who had done everything in her power to provide for him, but in her struggle to make sure he lived in a safe neighborhood, went to a good school, and always had enough to eat, she had failed to actually _be _there for Link. She was always too busy with work or her research. Link had taught himself the facts of life, had put band-aids on his own cuts when he was a kid, and looked at picture books alone before he went to bed. In most ways he envied other kids his age, for they had been raised with love and that had made them confident about themselves and aware of others emotions. The qualities Link lacked.

Lacked. Wasn't that just the story of his life, always lacking in something, never being quite complete. Strange. He was just strange. Why did he always feel like something was missing? Link frowned at his self-pity. He had no right to be complaining because deep inside, he knew that the way he was raised had made him different. Not necessarily better, but stronger. He relied on only himself and needed only himself. In some ways it was sad that his conditioning caused him to be so withdrawn from common emotions, but ironically, it was also a gift for he had been granted skills that few people in the world possessed. The time to use them had just never come up.

Link wandered over to a nearby tree and leaned against it, wondering whether Koronkaven would actually show up. A few minutes past, then several, fifteen, but still he waited until, at long last, a rustle came from a nearby bush and out emerged a small, shadowed figure carrying a sack over one shoulder. Link nearly choked with surprise, but quickly calmed himself as he realized who it had to be.

"Good evening. You must be Link Arian, yes?" greeted the woman-no wait…girl? Link couldn't tell; she spoke calmly and deliberately as if she were an adult, but yet the pitch of her voice was that of a young girl. Could she possibly be one of Chalen's pupils whom she had sent in her stead? Link nodded his head, but upon receiving no response from the girl, remembered that he was in a pitch black forest and she must not have seen his action.

"Yah, that's me. Sorry if it was hard to find me, its just …um…kind of challenging to navigate through this place," Link let out an awkward chuckle. His inability to see Chalen's expression left him feeling uncomfortable and foolish. What was she thinking of him?

"Oh, well, I'm the one who should be apologizing. These aren't exactly the best conditions to meet a complete stranger and I was the one who was late. By the way, thank you for coming, I know it was short notice and everything. But before we go on, how about some light out here," She then strode past Link, heading in the direction of a group of picnic tables that he remembered tripping over on his way into the clearing. He eagerly followed her across the moist grass, making sure to keep his eyes locked on her smooth moving form. She really was quite balanced, considering how uneven the ground was, and the way she avoided near invisible objects in her path was astounding. It was as if she was walking in daylight and could see all her surroundings perfectly.

"Here we are," Chalen murmured to herself, stopping in front of a large pit that Link assumed was for building fires. She then pulled the sac over her head, emptied a few of its contents onto the ground, and tossed some type of sand into the pit, which abruptly burst into a raging bright blue inferno and eventually settled down into a decently sized crimson bonfire. Link gaped. How did she do that? No matches, no oil…maybe he just hadn't been watching close enough. It was dark, after all.

"Great," Chalen rose up from the ground to face him, and for the first time Link was able to make out her appearance. It was surprising, to say the least, she looked so young, about the age of fourteen, her hair was cropped and styled into a very mature looking shape, and her skin gave off an inner glow that one could only find on that of a youthful child. But what interested Link the most were her eyes, how intensely green they were, like the leaves of an old tree. They reminded him of a lake, the way they sparkled on the surface, but yet underneath they were filled with years and years worth of dark, lost secrets. She looked as if she had once held a great burden on her shoulders, telling by the deep lines under her eyes. Link almost felt he could relate to her, although he couldn't think why. There had been no times in his life when he had to worry about anyone other than himself. Why did he feel such an affinity for her? Why did he feel so familiar with her? All he knew about the scholar was that she studied Elfin archaeology…and also aged curiously well.

"So," Chalen said as she clapped her hands together and took a seat on a bench near the fire, "What questions do you have?" Link slid onto the bench opposite her and rubbed his nose, trying to regain feeling in his frozen face. All of a sudden he couldn't even remember why he had wanted to meet her…

The strange feeling was back, even stronger then it had been earlier. Everything began to look blurry to Link as strange images and unknown memories flooded his mind. Darkness. Black sky. He was covered in blood, lying on the ground and struggling to get up. Pain…so much fear. He could feel himself whimpering, bleeding. But then the vision changed and he was floating in the sky…on clouds. Happy…relieved.

What was going on?

He felt like his mind was being crushed into the back of his head and some other person was filling up his body with their own life and memories. He needed to run, to leave his life behind him, to live freely and on his own terms. He had no control over what he thought or felt or desired. He was no longer himself. What was he?

_Solitude. _

_Must be alone._ _Leave._

Save her. Must save her. 

_He's back. Fight- Kill him!_

"Link?" Chalen's voice rang through his ears. She saved him. It was over, he could see and think again. His memories were back. Link flexed his hands in relief, thankful that he was able to control them. But although the feeling had left again, the fear he had felt still lingered in his chest. What was he going to do? He was certain that he had to be going mad; maybe there was some sort of medication he could take. There had to be some way to make him normal again.

_Who am I? Link Arian…yes that's right. Link Arian. What am I? I am a fisherman and only a fisherman. That's it…nothing more. Where am I? With Chalen Koronkaven. She's staring at you. You look like an idiot. Talk to her before she leaves._

Link immediately tried to regain his composure, hoping that he didn't seem as strange as he felt. What had she asked again? Oh right, she wanted to know what questions he had.

"Well," he began, struggling to find words, "I was actually curious about the prophecy you made in your novel. You said that the Hero of Time reappears every one hundred years in what is called The Hylian Succession to strike down The Evil, right?" Chalen watched Link intently and nodded her head. Good, he was making sense. "Yah, so then you said that according to your studies it has been about one _thousand _years since the Hero of Time last appeared and within that time was The Great Peace in which the Hylian Succession was thrown off and supposedly ended. But you wrote that The Evil was really just laying low and regrouping itself for longer than normal because The Hero's blow had been so strong. So really, The Hylian Succession never really ended after all and The Evil will return someday, stronger than ever and ready to finally put an end to The Hero. You predicted that this next time would be different in some way; that maybe The Evil will strike in a less obvious way…a deadlier way. My question is: What is leading you to believe this? What research? What clues? How do you know everything that you do? Your understanding of the past centuries is amazing, so detailed, so in depth. It's as if you had lived then. How?" Link's voice dissipated and Chalen recognized that he was done talking.

She gave him a nod, her eyes looking misty, an expression of intrigue drifting across her porcelain face, "Good question Mr. Arian," it felt weird to hear a woman who looked younger than himself, addressing him as a Mister. "It is always important to know if a person's facts are credible before you go believing everything they have to say," Chalen then reached down for her bag and pulled out an assortment of pictographs and notes, which she arranged in front of Link.

"I have been studying The Hylian Succession my whole life. I have dedicated every ounce of my time to discovering and decoding and theorizing about different temples and folklore that relate to it. I know how to read and speak Old Hylandish, some ancient tribal forest languages, every major native tongue that was once spoken in Hyland, and even Fairy. That is why I am the only person in the entire world who was able to decode the depictions in the Eastern Temple Remains and was thus able ascertain a great deal more information than anyone else in my field of study." Link thought back to yesterdays history lesson. Oh yah, the temple she was referring to was the one discovered by the College students from the University of Oralynne on the outskirts of Parkins.

"Um, no offense Ms. Koronkaven, but I thought no one was able to decode the scriptures there," he inquired meekly. Was this woman just making up a bunch of believable lies?

Chalen shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, Mr. Arian, it is true that no one else could understand the language written in the temple, but I was able to. It was written in a language that I am actually…quite familiar with," she paused for a moment, but Link knew better than to interrupt her moment of reflection. A minute passed and Chalen then opened her mouth to continue her explanation, only to once again close it and stare into the fire. Link raised an eyebrow, nearly two minutes had passed and he was now becoming anxious for her to make a point.

The professor turned back to Link. "Mr. Arian, do you know anything of the ancient forest tribes of Hyland?" Link cocked his head, trying to think back to the beginning of the school year when his class was learning about past civilizations. Unfortunately, he had never really paid attention so all he was able to recall was an old worksheet about some aboriginal forest people that he had forgotten to turn in.

"Um, yeah. I know a little," he lied. "Wasn't there some small clan that inhabited the shore of the Zorah River? Lived forever, didn't they?"

Chalen nodded her head yet again. "Actually Link, you are mostly right. Those people were known as the Kokiri, and no, they didn't live forever. Although they did remain children for there entire lives."

"How?" Link asked.

"Well, before the Great Flood, the Kokiri took on the appearance of young children and lived in a clearing within this very forest. But, unlike most peoples of that era, the Kokiri had no mothers and no fathers, no beginning and no end. They were the creation of the Great Deku Tree, an extension of his own soul; they were like his children, in a sense. Each of them were created with a fairy guardian that held the life and essence of their maker; if the fairy were killed, the Kokiri body would go on living without a complete spirit, without a life force, and if the Kokiri were to die, the fairy would have no more purpose and would eventually wither and the spirit inside it would return to the Deku Tree where it would be given a new body. So the two creatures were vital to one another and although it was a rarity for a Kokiri to die, it was still somewhat comforting to know that he would come back again. As long as the Deku Tree's spirit continued to be passed on from seed to seed, the Kokiri were safe, and as long as they stayed within the boundaries of his aura, they survived.

So the people continued to thrive, even during the Dark Epoch when the Evil King ruled, and they continued to live in peace all the way up to the Great Flood. When the ocean submerged the land the Deku Tree decided that his children's current form did not suit the changing environment, so he developed a new appearance for the Kokiri, one that allowed them to fly long distances over the sea and plant new forests on various islands. In order to transfer the Kokiri spirits into their new bodies, the Deku tree had the children and their fairies fall into a deep slumber while he pulled their souls out from inside them and placed them within the more suitable body. But this time the Deku Tree had made no external soul so the fairy and Kokiri became one inside a single body, thus ending their need to stay within the borders of the forest. The Kokiri then decided to rename themselves the Koroks, and as time went by the Koroks began to remember less and less about their old ways of life until eventually, everything had been forgotten. But even so, the Koroks remained a stable civilization of sorts until the Elfin Revolution, the time when the Elfin population became so massive that it eventually took control of all other species.

This caused a great war between the different peoples of Hyland, even peaceful societies, like the Koroks', were forced to take part, but as you know, only the strongest survived. The Elfin came out on top, but the war had left the world in ruin, many cultures died and their people became extinct, all their documents destroyed. So many things were gone without a trace and as time went on even there memory was forgotten. The Koroks were one of those cultures. Every one of them had been killed, their forest was destroyed, the Deku Tree burned to the ground, unable to leave even a seed behind. All that was left of their society was their temples, containing scriptures of some of their beliefs…but that was it. And that is what people to this very day believe. They think they are all dead.

Although, there was one who survived; one girl who had begged the Deku Tree to let her keep her child form in the time before the Great Flood. The Deku Tree agreed because he knew that she was the only one out of all the Kokiri who had a spirit that was no longer tied to his own. She had built up her own soul to be completely independent and cut off her connection to the Deku Tree by becoming what was then known as a Sage. So, before the sea had totally broken up the forest from other parts of the land, the Kokiri girl said one last goodbye to the forest and departed on a journey with her fairy across the continent.

After being held captive in the same place her entire life, she was now eager to travel and learn about different parts of the world, but as the years passed by and the girl remained the same age just as before, she then realized that cutting herself off from the great Deku Tree had not taken her ability to live forever and stay the same age. For the first five hundred years she continued to travel across the globe, continued to watch the world change, constantly making up new identities for her self because as time went on people began to stop believing in magic and mythology. She eventually was forced to hide her fairy and her face in order to make a living in the quickly evolving society. For years she had no idea as to why she kept living, she became angry, having to move so often and never having a real purpose. So she finally returned to her old land to find it in ruins, the country had just undergone a bloody rebellion in which the inhabitants had killed the royal family who had become terrible monarchs. Everything was in chaos, but as the Kokiri girl roamed aimlessly throughout the land, she finally knew why she had continued living. Long, long ago she had made a promise, that forever she would aid the Hero of Time, her purpose was to help end the Great Succession that had continued to reoccur every one hundred years since she had been gone. And to this day, that same Kokiri girl lives, waiting for the day when the Hero of Time will finally return to strike down the evil that has still refused to show itself."

Link sat gaping as Chalen finally ended her tale. Could all this be true? Where had she gotten all this information? She hadn't even answered his question. He felt to utterly confused he could hardly stand it.

"A promise to the Hero of Time? But I don't remember someone like that in the story. Who is she?" he asked.

"Who is she? She was ' the one who hailed from the East'. Do you remember that from the folklore?" Chalen responded. Link could tell that she was trying to lead him to some kind of conclusion. But what was it? He thought back to the picture books he had read about the Hero of Time when he was younger and remembered the verse Chalen was referring to.

_He called upon the Six Sages of the land. _

_He called the one from upon the cliffs up high. He hailed from the Mountain of Death. _

_He called upon the one who dwelled beneath the murky deep. She hailed from the River of her kin._

_He called upon the one who knew the path of change. He hailed from gateways of light._

_He called upon the one who played with the shadows of death. She hailed from summit of fire._

_He called upon the one who danced with spirits of the old. She hailed from desert of the West._

_And He called upon the one who sang despite the dark. She hailed from the forest of the East._

That was it. But what relevance did any of this have to his question. The meeting was going nowhere; she was avoiding all of his questions. He didn't feel anymore knowledgeable than he did before he had begun talking to her. Was all her information fabricated?

"Yah, I know that line. But, I don't understand. What does this have to do with anything? I mean- please don't be offended- but that didn't really answer my question. I still don't know how you learned all of this," Link stated, as politely as he could. A mysterious smile spread across Chalen's face as she raised her head to look Link in the eye.

"Actually, Link. It has everything to do with your question," she then tucked her hand inside her coat and pulled out a something small and glowing. Link lowered his head and tried to make out the identity of the item, and then it dawned on him.

"That…that's a fairy…" he said, his voice trailing off into his astonishment. How could this be? Fairies didn't exist. Why would she have a fairy?

And then everything clicked in his mind. Chalen's irrelevant stories hadn't been pointless; she really had been answering his question the whole time. This was just too much to handle in one sitting.

"You're-" he tried to finish his thought but Chalen completed his sentence for him.

"Saria. I am the one who hails from the Forest of the East."

Link nodded his head, "Yeah…that's what I was going to say." Chalen stood up and walked to face the fire, her silhouette bold and striking against the flames.

Chalen suddenly changed the subject, "So, Link. You have heard of the Tournament of Nights, I presume."

O O O

Once again, I am really sorry for how long this took to come out, and how short it actually is, but hopefully it was worth the wait. I'm going to start the next chapter NOW!

Haze


	7. Worthy

Okay everyone, I know it has been a VERY long time and you all probably feel like punching me in the face. But luckily for me, we are interacting over the Internet, therefore, you cannot. Although, the insanely long wait was not in vain because I think this chapter is the best one yet, hopefully you will agree. If not, then proceed to send me emails regarding your overwhelming desire to punch me in the face. I checked back on a story I hadn't looked at for a while and in the time it has taken me to update, she has written about 10 chapters…LONG ones. I then thought, "Wow, I really need to get cracking." So be expecting updates about every week… Don't laugh. I'm serious. Lol.

And of course, thank you for all of your very generous reviews, I really appreciate them!

O O O

**_Chapter Seven_** _Worthy_

Link furrowed his brow, a bit baffled at Chalen- or- Saria's sudden change of subject. "Err- well I was planning on trying out, I guess, but- I mean- I haven't gotten my aunt's permission yet. So, I'm not really sure if I will be able to or not. I don't even have all the required equipment," Link shook his head, feeling a bit more discouraged at being reminded of the barriers keeping him from his goal. Saria waved her hand dismissively and pulled a crumpled piece of paper out from a pocket of her robes.

"So I take it that you also haven't filled out this application paper?" she said, placing the form in front of him on the table. Link shook his head again and reached for the paper squinting in an attempt to read in the pitch-black night. Saria exchanged a look with the fairy now seated on her shoulder and in a moment she had fluttered down and hovered above the paper, casting an ethereal glow, allowing Link to glance at a few questions.

"Oh," he said in surprise, acknowledging the small little sprite, "Th-thank you." All he heard in response was a faint giggle that was almost undetectable. Link smiled back and turned his attention back down to the page.

**_5. Experience_**

5A. How many years have you been sword fighting? 

5B. _Are you in a/an _Sword_ fighting/Archery/Equestrian league? _

_ If you answered no to question 5B move on to question 5E_

_5C. Mark which league applies to you:_

_High School_

_Semi Professional_

_Professional_

The elfin boy sighed and massaged his temples while tucking the application underneath his hat so he wouldn't misplace it like he did his homework. A moment of silence passed between the immortal Kokiri girl and the young Hylian, as he contemplated a response.

"Ms. Koronkaven, actually on second thought, I don't think that I will be competing in the Tournament," Link finally stated miserably. "First of all, I don't have any training or experience with any of these things, except if you count hand to hand combat, or in other words, getting beat up. Secondly, I have no weapons, or even enough money to rent some, and even if I did, my Aunt would never let me compete in anything that gambled my safety, unless it involved academics, in which case she would be all for it. I don't know what I was thinking when I first considered trying out for that tournament. Besides, I already know what my future is. I'm one of the best apprentice fisherman on Lake Hylia, why should I waste my time working on something I have no chance at, when I know what my skills are; fishing, not fighting," Link finished his speech with strong finality in his voice, despite that he didn't believe his own words.

He knew he didn't want to live the boring life that now seemed promised to him, he knew that if he were given the chance to compete in that tournament, with prior experience or none, that he would take it, regardless of what the consequences were. But there was always the logical side of him that told him to think realistically, reach for high goals, just not so high that he couldn't reach them with reasonable ease. Link's rational side always seemed to be at battle with his ambitious side, but due to the little growth that his ambitions were allowed, the sensible side of him always triumphed.

Saria's serene expression dimmed along with her fairy, whose radiant white glimmer turned into a dull gray light as she lowered herself onto the table. Her eyes stared up into Link's as she seemed to project the same troubled emotions as her companion, Saria's.

" I have seen many things, Link, along with many doubtful people such as yourself. One in particular was a very close friend of mine, all of his life, I saw him be put down, let down, told he was different and strange. If you were to have seen him you would have agreed that he would most likely amount to nothing. But when civilization and life itself was threatened it was not the confident and well-educated knights who came to the world's rescue, it was he who made the sacrifice. Even though the world had shown him nothing but cruelty, he was willing to turn around and save the very same people who had caused him pain. That is why, to this day, I would still rather put my well being in the dirty hands of a peasant than in the polished hands of a king,"

Link smiled weakly back at Saria but before he could even begin to refute she spoke again. "Link, I see in you what I saw in my friend all those years ago, and even though you may not realize it yet, I believe that you were meant for great things. So you start training, and as for your aunt, just try talking to her…I have a feeling she'll understand. Trust me." Link blinked awkwardly and stared blankly back at Saria, still a bit awestruck at being in her cryptic presence. Never in his life did he remember being so generously complemented by anyone; it was as if the Sage knew what he felt, and how to make it better. He found it somewhat unnerving…

"Thank you for everything, Saria. This meeting has definitely been much more informative than I imagined it would be. I would love to hear more of what you have to say but I should definitely be going before my aunt realizes I'm not in my room," Link then rose from his seat beside the fire and held out his hand for Chalen to shake, although she merely glanced down at it and chuckled good naturedly.

"Link, couldn't you say that we are _friends_ now?" she asked jovially, placing her small fists on her hips and cocking her head to the side. Link was once again thrown of by her disconnected manner of communicating.

"Um, I suppose so…" Link mumbled in response, not sure of what she meant by the question.

"And do you see _friends_ shaking hands?

Link opened his mouth to answer but before he could even utter a single word, the petite girl engulfed him in a surprisingly firm hug. Being in such a close proximity with the opposite sex couldn't help but make Link's brow sweat ever so slightly, he wasn't one for affectionate physical contact, especially when it was with a girl. The whole concept of hugs just seemed unnecessary to him and he avoided it whenever he could by blocking the path of his emotional attacker by offering his hand instead.

_Life would just be more orderly if we could all just nod our head's to one another,_ Link thought sardonically.

Saria then released Link from his extreme discomfort and offered one last word of parting, "I will be looking for you at the tournament, Link." With that Link waved a goodbye and disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Saria stood a while longer by the warmth of the fire, thinking silently to herself until the almost non-existent voice of her fairy caught her attention.

"Do you think it was a good idea to tell him all those things? I mean…what if we are wrong? What if it isn't…_him_?" Saria narrowed her eyes and gazed into the fire, considering her spirit's discrepancy.

"Well, Tenka, even if it isn't him, I still trust that boy…it's just such a coincidence that he emailed _me_ wanting to know about the Hero, his interest in the tournament, in fighting! And his name, Tenka-."

"Link is a common name, Saria!" The little fairy argued. "And that part in the prophecy! Remember, it says:

_The tides of time will change. Overlap one another, but the fire will burn in each. He, the sun, will not shine with the same light, but he, the Dark, will glint with the same glow. The tides will connect them but each will ride on a different wave. The land will be warmed with two of the same, but only one will be true._

Didn't we decide that it must mean the Hero will not be the same, and that there would be _two _of them, but only one would be the real one? Therefore this boy we just met might be the false one! This entire thing must be some kind of trick, orchestrated by the Evil One!"

"But Tenka, the whole prophecy is so vague and allegorical that it could mean _anything_! That is why we must prepare for every possibility imaginable," Saria rebutted. Her fairy shook her head solemnly.

"I suppose you're right… '_The tides of time will change. Overlap one another, but the fire will burn in each.'_ I wonder what that means," Tenka commented to herself, not really expecting an answer.

"The princess and I concluded that it probably means this war will take place in different times, but they will somehow be connected with one another, but the Hero and the Evil One will ride on a different wave, which, I believe to mean that they will exist in different times…" Saria's voice trailed off and was lost in the crackling of the now dying fire.

"But if that is true…how are we going to win this one?" Tenka stuttered, now sounding concerned. Saria closed her eyes and inhaled the crisp, familiar air of her birthplace.

"I don't know, Tenka…I don't know," Saria sighed. Silence reigned over the two ancient creatures for the next few minutes until Saria raised her hand into the air, and with a flip of her wrist, completely extinguished the flames of the fire. Together they made their way out of the forest, briefly stopping in front of the giant tree play structure that loomed over the park, haunting them of a former life long past. Saria observed the faux tree for a moment and scoffed, shaking her head from side to side; a dreamy look blew across her soft features.

"Humph. Doesn't look a thing like him," she murmured to herself before turning back to the path and silently trudging her way back the Parkins Legislative Building, back to Zelda…back to her new life.

O O O

Link slowly opened the door to the flat he and his aunt lived in and scoped out the surroundings, now ready to confront Penda about the tournament and his newly found calling, but realized that it was completely empty.

"Aunt Penda?" he called out while poking his head into each room to make sure she really wasn't there and just hadn't heard him. Every room was empty and dark completely devoid of any living presence. The boy frowned after checking the last possible place she could be, the closet. With a forlorn look on his face, Link slumped over to the kitchen table and reached for the box of cereal that he didn't even bother mixing with milk, or even putting in a bowl. Without much thought, he tore open the top and ate it straight out of the box. It was so often that his meals were like this that he actually didn't even mind them any more, they almost seemed good after a long day like the one he had just gone through. After eating a good portion of the cereal from the box, Link pulled himself from his chair and was about to crash on his bed without taking a shower, when the door opened, revealing a disheveled and wearisome looking Penda. In her arms were multiple folders, all containing hundreds of papers, rock samples, and what not, each making her job closing the door quite difficult.

"Oh, Aunt Penda, I didn't think you would be home so soon," Link commented as he relieved her of the heavy files and placed them over on her desk in the corner.

"I know," she mumbled through a long over due yawn, "I was surprised too, but I still have to go over this data before I can go to sleep. Boy, has this been one heck of a night." The dark haired woman then flopped into a nearby chair and closed her eyes a few moments only to open them again and she groggily stared at Link.

"Oh my goodness! Honey, what happened to your lip?" Penda asked frantically as she leapt up from her seat and ran over to examine him more closely. Her sudden bursts of uncontained energy never ceased to amaze Link, it was almost unnatural to have that much stamina after so little sleep!

"Aunt Penda, it's fine, really…I just fell out of my bed this morning. I'm not used to the new arrangement yet. That was only my first night sleeping on it," Link then smiled to make his story seem slightly more convincing. Penda looked at him skeptically but eventually nodded her head and patted him on the back.

"If you say so, Dear," she said, turning away from him and heading to her desk.

Now was the time to ask her.

"Aunt Penda…" Link called after her, somewhat hesitantly.

She instantly turned around and peered back at him over her glasses, "Yes?"

"Have you heard of the tournament of Knights?" he asked, staring at his feet in an attempt to avoid her eyes.

"Yes," she answered, now curious as to where he was going with this.

"Well, I was thinking about- um…trying out for it. But in order to do that I'm gonna need a sword and shield…so I was wondering if maybe you could get me one for my birthday-"

"Absolutely not!" she responded, her voice vehement and forceful. You are absolutely _not_ going to go kill yourself for some stupid competition! No way! I'm sorry Link, but I cannot allow you to do that!"

Link raised his head and looked his aunt in the eye, "Aunt Penda, I'm not asking you for your approval. I'm asking you to help me." Penda opened her mouth to retaliate but Link cut in before she could explode like he knew she would. "Either way I am going to find a way to compete. Tomorrow is my birthday and I will be turning fifteen…I'll be able to make my own choices. This is my choice, Aunt Penda. I've never asked for much, have I? That's because I've never wanted anything more than I have wanted to do this. _Please?_"

"Link you don't understand. You will not be competing in that tournament. You may be turning fifteen, but that does not mean that I am no longer your parent-"

"But that's just it! You _aren't _my parent," he shouted. Link regretted his last words, by the look on Penda's face; he had obviously struck a soft spot. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed and she held an expression of extreme hurt on her face. His stomach wrenched with guilt.

_Great._

He expected her to walk into her bedroom without another word but instead she remained where she was. Her vigor was gone and she was obviously contemplating her next response very carefully.

"You're right, Link. I'm not your parent. But you just don't understand. There are things about us, our family…there are things about _you _that you don't understand. And…I suppose it is my fault for not telling you." Without any further explanation she grabbed her coat and walked out the front door leaving Link alone with his guilty conscience.

Why did I go that far? I should have just shut up, but I just can't seem to control what I say anymore… What's wrong with me?

I never used to be like this… 

_Why the sudden change?_

O O O

It was 3:33 in the morning when Zelda received the call from Saria asking her to meet her in the library and she was not particularly pleased with her request. It had taken her a good long hour to finally find sleep and the previous nights hadn't been much better, thoughts of doom and destruction plagued her mind on top of her undying fear of failure. It was all too much for a girl of her age to have the fate of the world resting on her decision…on her judgment. On the outside she always managed to come across as a confident, ready, leader but in reality she hardly trusted herself to come through on the simplest of decisions. For the longest time that was all she had wanted. The ability to change things for the world, the chance to make a difference, although, never in her wildest dreams did she expect this big of a decision to be placed on her shoulders alone. Of course she still had the invaluable guidance of her personal advisor, Chalen, but even so, only she, Zelda, had the gifts of the Seventh Sage. Only _she_ could control the raging storm that was coming ever nearer. So in the end, the burden would remain hers.

That is…unless _he _showed up.

"Dearest Chalen, I am assuming that you did not peek out your window this morning because most living things wake up when the sun _rises_," Zelda proclaimed with a yawn as she approached her annoyingly perky advisor who she found swinging her legs underneath her while lying comfortably on a cushioned chair, sipping a steamy cup of coffee. Saria looked up and in seeing that is was only Zelda, pulled off her hood, allowing her face to be seen in clear view, and sat upright, ready to dive into conversation.

"Yes. I know. Sorry about the early wake up call but I figured that we should discuss this in private before everyone wakes up. Don't want anyone overhearing us," Saria said, taking another sip from her thermos and waving for the princess to sit in the satin armchair opposite her. "Oh and, call me Saria when we are in private like this. I prefer it to Chalen; I don't know why I decided to name myself that! I guess I was just getting so tired of choosing new names that I began making it into a joke. Did you know that chalen actually means perturbed in modern Gerudo? I suppose it did match how I felt at the time though…" Zelda raised an eyebrow and stared at her uncharacteristically chipper friend who was now humming some strange song to herself.

"Chalen- oh wait, _Saria_, I think that coffee is making you a tad loopy. Maybe some water would be better. It isn't normal for you to be so talkative," Zelda remarked sarcastically as she pulled off her shoes and curled herself up in her armchair. Never in all her time of knowing Chalen had she ever seen her totally remove her hood _and_ ask her to call her by her true name.

_Maybe she met a guy_, Zelda theorized, not really believing it. Saria didn't show any interest in romance. Why would she? A tree created her species, for crying out loud; therefore they had no desire fore a companion of the opposite sex.

Zelda stifled a laugh.

Saria found herself blushing. "Your right Zelda, I'm acting a bit strange aren't I? But it isn't because I am highly caffeinated, although that might be adding to it, it's because I've been infected with hope again, my friend!" Saria then jumped to her feet with excitement. "Princess, I think I have found him, the same one we saw in the auditorium, yesterday! Tenka and I went to meet him in the park earlier and…" Saria walked across the carpet and took Zelda's hand in her own, "…and I am almost positive it is him." Saria then continued to tell Zelda of the conversation she had with the potential hero while Tenka sat on top of a book on a nearby shelf, looking skeptically over in her other half's direction.

Zelda looked horror struck back at Saria as she completed the retelling of the meeting. "You _told_ him that you were the sage of the forest? Are you _insane?_ You have no idea who this boy is and you told him your darkest secret! Saria, he could be working for the evil one for all we know! And what about the prophecy?" Saria looked guiltily back at Zelda, struggling to find the appropriate words to use to back up her actions.

"I know, I know. But…I could just sense it inside of him, and it just seems like to big of a coincidence for it not to be an act of the goddesses," Chalen refuted, still avoiding eye contact with the somewhat heated princess who was now leaning her head back and massaging her temples, feeling the familiar stress overcome her once again.

"But the prophecy! '_He, the sun, will not shine with the same light, but he, the Dark, will glint with the same glow.'_ He is obviously going to appear differently than the previous times and the Evil One might even _appear_ to have the same qualities as the Hero. That boy you talked to could have been the Evil One, Saria!"

"He was not evil! And he was different than he was before, he didn't have confidence or skill! Just because he looks almost exactly the same as the Link I knew doesn't mean that he isn't him. The prophecy could have been referring to his personality, not his appearance," Saria sat back down on the sofa, feeling a little more doubtful than she had earlier that night.

Zelda thought for a moment, visibly relaxed she leaned over and placed her chin in the palm of her hand and sighed to herself. "I suppose there is that possibility, but we can't be sure until the end of this tournament. In my vision I saw the Hero holding the winning cup in his hand, I know it was he because the Triforce of courage was throbbing red on the top of his hand. I know a dream can't be totally reliable but seeing as all my other visions have been true…I'm guessing that this one will be too. It isn't much to go on, but right now it is pretty much all we have." Saria nodded her head in agreement

"The one thing I don't understand," Zelda continued, "is the line in the prophecy that says, '_the tides of time will change. Overlap one another, but the fire will burn in each.' _Does that mean the Hero and Evil One will live in two separate times but the dark will still be present in both? That's the most logical interpretation I can come up with."

"Well, yes. That's what I thought it to mean as well," Saria replied, outstretching a hand for her approaching fairy to land on. "But as for,_ 'The land will be warmed with two of the same, but only one will be true'_ I still don't totally understand that but I believe it means there will be two people that are very much like the Hero but only one of them will be the real one."

"That makes sense," Zelda replied simply. "I guess the riddle isn't that complicated once you start piecing it together. But we can't settle for one possibility, we have to be prepared for anything." Chalen tipped her head backwards and poured the remaining drops of coffee into her mouth, all her positive energy deteriorated as she swallowed and was once again reclaimed by hopelessness.

"Exactly," Saria said.

The two girls sat in silence, in the distance, bells could be heard coming from the central clock tower, echoing in the night.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

It was now four in the morning. They must be the only two souls awake right now, the sages thought in unison. Who would be awake at this hour, anyway? But as they sat beside the dying fire of the library in the Parkins Legislative Building, a boy, by the shore of Lake Hylia, was riding a pitch-black mare towards the West, gripping tightly to the horse's mane as she reared up, leaving their dark silhouette against the satin horizon.

He too could hear the ominous ringing of the city bells, marking the end of his childhood and bringing about the beginning of his new life as an adult.

O O O

The sun had barely peaked over the forested horizon of the East, casting a brilliant light on dormant Death Mountain volcano that shadowed the small Ritoh community in the North East. It had taken three hours for Link to ride Cinder clear across the city into the West and finally find the abandoned warehouse that now served as the Devil's hideout. Makellin had given him directions but seeing as how the young Gerudo boy wasn't exactly great with words, Link had ended up wandering down several dead end streets, riding a horse in the wee hours of the morning, which wasn't exactly a normal sight.

Link and Cinder turned down a narrow alley behind the warehouse and quickly approached the back entrance of the building where Makellin had told him to go so that no one could see him enter. After tying the feisty mare to a nearby fire-hydrant, Link slowly approached the back door, knocked once, waited for five counts, then lightly pounded on it three more times. There was no response for a few moments until Link heard footsteps coming towards the door, jumping in surprise when the mail slot by his knees popped open and revealed a pair of accusatory yellow eyes.

"Bend down," the deep, yet feminine, voice commanded. Link, a little taken a back by the girl's forcefulness, hesitantly complied, squatting down to a sitting position on the dirty pavement.

"Who are you and what do you want, Blondie?" The inquisitor asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. Link frowned at the girl's upfront audacity, but answered all the same.

"My name is Link. I'm a friend of Makellin and-"

"Pfft. Not likely, Blondie," she interrupted still unconvinced and looking as if she would close the mail slot all together and just leave the untrustworthy looking Hylian outside where he belonged.

"I'm not lying, I used to be a Devil a long time ago," he reasoned.

"Yah? Well, it must have been one hell of a long time because I don't know who you are," the girl responded haughtily, but Link could tell he had caught her interest all the same. "What was your name then, tough guy?"

"Screech. Do you remember me? I broke both my legs when I got pushed out of that second story building!" For a moment Link thought that he had won the stern, cat eyed girl over, but even his valid information didn't convince her.

"You're no Screech kid. Look at you! You're like a meek little kitty cat! I wouldn't be surprised if you organize your socks! Please, give me a break and just go back home to Mommy."

Link snorted, becoming increasingly irritated. He just rode three hours on horseback at four in the morning to come train with Makellin only to be stopped by some self important, rude, illogical Gerudo girl. He was not about to turn around and ride back home after all his effort.

"If you don't mind me asking," Link added before the girl stood up, his patience reaching its peak, "what exactly is up your ass?" There was no response on the other side of the door. Dejected and slightly irate, Link rose from the pavement and marched angrily back to his pony, who was keeping her self occupied by pawing at a crack in the concrete.

Just as Link was slipping his foot into the stirrup and about to hoist himself onto to Cinder's back, the door to the warehouse flew open and out came the anal guard, her waist long hair tied up into a high ponytail that fell lightly over her dark shoulders.

"All right, now that's the Screech I remember! Out right rude and proud of it," she said, leaning her weight on one leg with her hands on her hips. "Sorry about all of that shit I put you through. It's just that there has been a lot of weird creeps out there lately. Can never be too sure."

"Yah, don't worry about it, I understand," Link replied, relieved that his trip wasn't for nothing. "So where is Makellin?"

"Oh, he's in the courtyard training for the tournament," she replied. "By the way, do you remember me? Strats. The know it all twerp that planned all the strategies, that was me."

"That's right! I remember now, you were the only girl who actually took part in the fights," Link concluded. Strats smiled importantly, holding her head a bit higher than before.

"Yah that was me," she said as her gaze drifted towards the out of place horse tied up to the hydrant. She raised an eyebrow. "Um, what's with the horse? Don't tell me you rode that all the way here." Link merely blushed and nodded his head. Satisfied with his response, Strats then ushered Link through the door and lead him around the maze like hallways of the hideout. Practically every room was filled Devils who were loitering around, doing nothing, or flirting with the copious amount of scantily clothed women in the building. As he passed them, they all gave him a strange look, not quite recognizing him but still finding his appearance vaguely familiar.

"So is Jinx still the leader?" Link asked his guide curiously, as they continued on the path to the courtyard. A gloomy look appeared on the Gerudo girl's face as she slowed her pace and looked to the ground.

"Naw, he was actually murdered by a powerful gang a few years back. It was terrible. We couldn't even turn them in because there was no evidence, no body, nothing." Link, too, lowered his gaze, respecting her sadness, even though he had never really had a great companionship with his former leader, he still had respect for him. No one deserved to go like that.

"Who did it?" Link questioned further, hoping that he wasn't crossing any emotional boundaries for Strats.

"You ever hear of The Dead?" she answered with another question. Link thought back to the day of his test to get into the Devils, he remembered seeing their tag written all over the walls of a street by the river.

"Yes, I have. They're all adults aren't they?" he recalled.

"That's right, except, it turns out they aren't exactly a gang. They're more of a cult. It's like they have an endless amount of recruits who just dedicate they're lives to gaining power by killing the leaders of different gangs and taking control of them. They've done it to practically all of them; even Dragon belongs to them now. The same would have happened to the Devils, that is, if Makellin- or Boomer, I should say- hadn't stepped up and taken leadership of us." Link almost detected a slight blush appear on her face as she mentioned Makellin. "It was actually really brave of him, no one wanted to do it because it would probably mean their demise, but for some reason, The Dead never came to kill him. Kind of a mystery, the only real thing we know about them is that they're power hungry assholes."

"Wow," was all Link could muster to say. How could so many terrible things happen in just a few years?

"Well, I'm feeling perfectly depressed now," Strats stated humorously, breaking the solemn atmosphere, as she stopped in front of a blue door. "Here we are. You ready to get you're butt kicked?"

Link gave her a lopsided grin in. "When am I not?" Strats returned the smile and together they pushed open the door and were met by a piercingly bright morning sun that forced Link to cover his eyes until they were able to adjust. When he was finally able to observe his surroundings, he noticed that the entire courtyard was surrounded with boys who were all holding wooden swords and watching two boys spar in the center of the courtyard. One of the boys of course was Makellin; the other was a tall, muscular Hylian who Link didn't recognize. Behind all the boys, sitting on top of the brick walls lining the yard were the familiar, overly done up Devil girls who didn't do anything in particular but appeal to the males of the group.

Strats roughly pushed her way through the crowd heading to the very center where Makellin and his opponent were dueling rather fiercely with one another, even from where Link was standing, he could make out bruises and cuts along their bodies. As he continued watching a strange realization took over him, he started to see patterns in the boy's movements, his mind began to formulate strategies, and he was able to identify their weaknesses, strengths and mistakes.

_He should have moved left…No that wasn't a good move, it was too obvious not to block… Why did he do that? Makellin was totally open to an attack._ Link was shocked as he realized what he was thinking. Where had that come from?

"All right boys, break it up! We've got a guest of honor on our hands here, come on, quit it!" Strats called out to the crowd of Devils who all reluctantly pulled their attention from the dueling leader to the strategist. Makellin raised a hand, ended the sparring contest, and straightened his knees out of his deep fighting stance. It was obvious to everyone that he was the best fighter out of all the Devils.

"What is it Strats?" Makellin inquired, breathing heavily as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Screech is here to pay us all a little visit," Strats answered in a matter of fact tone. "And for those of you who weren't here back in the day, Screechy was that crazy kid you've probably heard about, the one who ripped the earring out of that Dragon's ear." A murmur of understanding rose from the boys, and the girls perched on top of the wall began looking him over, sending him flirtatious smiles. Link just stared straight ahead and tried to pretend he didn't notice.

Makellin looked back towards the door, spotted Link, and grinned, signaling with his hand for him to come up into the center. Link obeyed, awkwardly trudging through the throng of people, whom, out of respect, parted to make a path for him.

"Link, you made it. How's it going?" Makellin asked patting his friend on the shoulder, causing Link to almost lose his balance.

"Pretty good. Nice to see the old neighborhood again," Link replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable being the center of attention.

"So, you ready to start some training?" the leader asked, a sly smile gracing his broad face. Link nearly choked.

_Train_? Train in front of the whole world?

"Sure," he lied in return, swallowing hard.

"Great. Hey! You, pass me those bows over there!" Makellin called to a teenage boy who seemed to be in charge of the weaponry. Caught off guard, he scampered over to the rack that held the bows and arrows and obligingly brought them to Makellin who then passed one to Link, who was currently sweating like mad. He hadn't expected to start fighting right off the bat.

"All right, you see that bulls-eye over there?" Makellin asked. Link nodded silently. "That's what we are shooting at. I'll go first." Makellin than proceeded to close one eye, pull back as far as he could on the arrow, and release. With a sharp snapping sound, it hit practically dead center, which aroused the crowd who immediately started cheering at the great shot.

"Your turn," Makellin then said simply as he stepped back to observe. Link's eye's widened as he shot Makellin a concerned look; the Gerudo boy just smiled reassuringly in return.

_They obviously expect me to be some great fighter or something…_ Link thought as he noticed all the eager stares in his direction. _Either that, or they're just waiting for me to mess up._

"Um, Makellin. You do understand that I've never used one of these things in my _life_?" Link said somewhat nervously. Makellin looked surprised, almost disappointed, but just told him to try his best. The rest of the Devils started chuckling lightly and slowly moved away from the target, not wanting the inexperienced Hylian to accidentally nail them instead of the Bulls-eye.

Link inhaled deeply and lifted the bow up, fumbling slightly as he tried to hold it the way Makellin did.

_I can do this. _

Concentrating as hard as he could, ignoring the incessant murmurs from the crowd, Link slowly pulled back on the arrow and tried to aim the tip of it with the center of the target.

_Hey, this actually doesn't feel so weird,_ he thought to himself.

Holding his breath, Link released the arrow and looked away, not wanting to see where it ended up.

CRACK!

_Oh crap, I probably hit a tree_.

Link waited patiently for the laughing and teasing to begin, but to his surprise there was only complete silence until Makellin's voice broke the infernal quiet.

"Damn," he said.

Oh goddesses, it's worse than I thought… 

Finally gaining the courage to witness the damage, Link opened his eyes and looked around the courtyard.

No arrow.

Then he glanced at the target and what he saw made his jaw drop. There was his arrow, stuck dead center in the middle of the target. His shot had been so strong it had caused the wooden bulls-eye to split.

The courtyard erupted in cheers of approval as Link handed the bow back to Makellin and said, "Lucky shot, eh?" The leader of the Devils nodded slowly, still stunned.

"Well, it looks like you're fine in that area," Makellin joked, "How are you with a sword? There aren't any lucky shots in sword fighting."

Link bit his lip and shrugged, slipping his hands in his pocket. "I've never tried that either," he answered with embarrassment.

"Okay then, let's do a bit of beginning sparring," Makellin concluded, picking up two wooden swords from the ground and tossing one to Link. "Come at me."

Link shook his head and tried to step out of the ring but the surrounding boys only pushed him back in, chanting for the leader and the archery prodigy to fight each other. Finally giving in to the pressure, Link meekly stepped forward and clumsily took a swing at Makellin who simply stepped out of the way and raised an eyebrow.

"Link, I'm sorry to say this, but if this is really how you fight, I'll call my five year old sister over here and she'll kick your ass," Makellin laughed. Link couldn't help but smile as well. Gaining a little more confidence, Link unexpectedly lunged forward and the two swords met with a clunk. "That's more like it," Makellin encouraged as he lifted his sword over his head and swiped it downward, Link quickly held his sword with both hands and successfully drew it up to deflect the blow. After a few warm up slashes, Link slowly began to get the hang of it, although was still handling the sword messily. The Gerudo boy was obviously going easy on him, but still inadvertently managed to knock him to the ground within the first five minutes.

Link laughed whole-heartedly along with the crowd while lying on his back in the dust, he had never felt such an adrenaline rush and he liked it.

"That was definitely good for a beginner," Strats said, pushing her way into the middle as Makellin extended a hand down to Link and tugged him back to his feet. "But you still need to learn the basics. Sit over here and observe for a bit," she ordered, pointing to an upturned flower box next to the ring. "I'll point everything out to you."

Link gladly obliged and slunk out of the arena, thankful to escape the attention. As he took his place on his wobbly seat next to Strats, who was gazing somewhat wistfully off at Makellin, he remembered just how much he had missed spending time with this wild group of ruffians. It had been all he had in his childhood, but he had never truly realized how much of him was left behind when he moved. A familiar feeling of oneness spread through him, as he looked out at all the old faces he had once known.

_Maybe getting punched in the face wasn't so bad, if it made Makllin come to my rescue, yesterday_, Link thought positively. For the first time in longer than he could recall, Link felt confident about himself, worthy to be alive.

O O O

For the rest of the month, Link continued to travel to the Devil fort and train with the Gerudo boys, occasionally bringing along Alden who wasn't very pleased with the notion but came along for the sake of experience. After the night before his fifteenth birthday, he rarely saw his aunt who had abruptly become more absorbed with her work than ever before, but Link knew it was because she was avoiding him.

His birthday had gone by practically unnoticed, save for the small, awkward dinner he and Penda shared and the odd boomerang that Alden had brought back from his old home of Barlock. Link still couldn't figure out how to work it and even Alden couldn't remember, although he insisted that he did but just wanted Link to figure it out on his own. Surprisingly, when Makellin found out that the previous day had been Link's birthday, he gave him the bow he had made his first bulls-eye with.

"This is obviously your lucky little weapon," he had said in the same monotone voice he always tended to use.

It was amazing how fast Link found himself progressing, at the beginning, he hadn't been quite as skilled with a sword, no where near to the abilities of the other boys, although still somewhat better than Alden. But as the weeks passed his skills rapidly increased and soon enough he began to surpass some of the better swordsman, then the best swordsman, and then was suddenly tied with Makellin. But, Link being Link, even though he had obvious talent, still refused to believe that he was really any good.

Soon enough, it was the night before the preliminaries and Link found himself outside, practicing with the wooden sword and shield he was borrowing from the Devils fort. Although the contestants were not allowed to use wooden swords in the actual tournament, for the tryouts, it was required which gave Link an extra day to find himself a real weapon. Besides, he didn't know if he was going to make it into the real thing anyways. There had to be many people out there who were better than a fifteen year old boy who had just started fighting a month ago.

Noticing that many of the street lights were now being turned on, the young swordsman decided to head home early, thinking it better to get a good night sleep before the big day. The last thing he needed was to feel groggy while running through an agility course. Quickly tucking all his second rate weaponry into his backpack, Link jogged into the Research Center and decided to take the stairs up to his flat rather than the elevator. Despite the late hour, there were still handfuls of uptight scientists running about like their lives depended on it, discussing data and drinking abnormally large amounts of caffeinated beverages. Most of them were so enthralled with what they were going about, they didn't even notice that Link had greeted them as they passed. Link merely sighed and continued on up to his room, not even bothering to acknowledge the people around him anymore.

His room was cold when he stepped inside; he had forgotten to close the windows again before he left. Shivering simultaneously, he dove over his bed and slid all three windows shut before removing his clothes and plopping blissfully onto his mattress, momentarily eying his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Flexing his new muscles, Link smiled to himself, feeling almost giddy about his new strength…it was oddly empowering.

Rolling over onto his belly, the Hylian reached for his alarm clock and set it for 5:30. Since he had agreed to pick up Alden on the way over to Parkins Stadium, he thought it best to add on the fifteen minutes he would have to spend waking up his foreign friend. Alden had never been a morning person.

Finally feeling the affects of a long days work, Link tugged the blankets of his unfixed bed up to his shoulders and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would find him before his active imagination did.

_All right, Link. Tomorrow is the day you show everyone what you are made of_, he told himself repeatedly before his brain became foggy.

Tomorrow.

O O O

"For crying out loud Harma, what the hell is wrong with you?" cried an angry man who was standing over the crumpled figure of a tearful girl.

"I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry! What more do you want to hear? I didn't _mean_ to fall down the stairs, okay? It's your fault for making me live in this dump while I'm _pregnant_! I can hardly balance on a flat surface, as it is, how can you expect me not to fall in a house with as many stairs and uneven places as this one?" The young woman proceeded to try and push herself to her feet, but only fell back to the ground, her tangled hair falling in front of her eyes as tears came streaming down her dark face. The man's eyes softened somewhat, although his expression still seemed a bit fierce for the situation that he was in.

"You're right," he said flatly, bending over to help the tattered girl to her feet. "I promise, this won't be for long and in the end it will all be worth it. I know; I can sense it already, the strength of our child. He is going to change our lives completely, Harma! We just have to have faith." Harma looked up into her lover's cold eyes and tried to choke her sobs. He never came through with his promises. Never. But even so, she managed to crack a smile. "Good," he said, rubbing her back lightly in an effort to display his affection although the gesture still came across unemotional. "Now go get some rest. I have a meeting to attend. We're initiating a new guy but I don't like him much. Don't wait up for me." With that, he opened the back door and left, leaving his wreck of a girlfriend to make it back up the stairs on her own.

As she placed her foot on the first step she felt a searing pain against her belly. _The baby must be kicking_, she thought to herself as she rubbed her stomach tenderly, imagining the wonderful joy that was within her, just waiting for his chance to see his mother. For the first time in days, Harma released a true smile and continued to battle her way back to the bedrooms.

O O O

Okay, as I said, be expecting an update in ONE WEEK! I swear it! Next chapter, the tournament finally begins!

Again, thank you so much for the reviews, everyone, I truly appreciate them.

Until next time,

Haze

__


	8. Preliminaries

Hah! I told you so! One week, (sort of) baby and I updated; you thought I was lying didn't you? Oh ye of little faith. Well, I'm feeling quite giddy right now, so enough talk, just read.

O O O

Chapter Eight Preliminaries 

The morning of the preliminaries had finally come and Link could hardly contain his growing enthusiasm. Although he had woken up, once again, to find that Penda had left before even wishing him good luck or at least placing a note on the table, he tried not to let it dampen his spirits and continued to prepare himself for the coming day. After packing all of his weapons into a new bag that his boss Flanders had given him as a belated birthday present, and cooking himself a somewhat healthy breakfast of eggs, toast, and juice, Link finally made his way out of the Research Center and headed towards Lon Brothers Ranch to pick up Cinder and Alden's horse, Yarna.

It was a particularly cold winter morning, Link noticed; although the sun was out, there was an unusually strong wind blowing over the land that made the air feel much icier. Feeling the affects of the weather, Link pulled his green hat over his ears and wrapped his loose fitting jacket around him more tightly as he continued to walk down the trail to Selta's home.

Due to his fast pace, the Hylian boy arrived in front of Cinder's stall much earlier than he anticipated which allowed him to avoid a never ending conversation with Selta, who had not yet made her rounds to his end of the ranch yet. He took in a breath of relief and greeted his speckled mare with a pat on the neck and three sugar cubes, which he had discovered to be her favorite food. Cinder eagerly licked up his daily offerings and then lowered her head to his pants pocket, sniffing in hopes that he had brought more.

"Sorry girl, that's it for now," he laughed, trying to maintain his balance as Cinder happily nuzzled his head. "If we do well today, you can have all the sugar cubes you want.

"Hey, can I have some too?" came a sarcastic voice from the stall behind Cinder's. Link leaned to the side to get a view of who had just addressed him, and smiled in seeing that it was only Alden.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here so early. I thought I was supposed to bring Yarna to you, wasn't that the plan?" Link asked his red headed friend, who mounted his chestnut colored horse and shrugged in response.

"Well, I didn't want you to have to go to the trouble and I thought it would be a good idea to wake up early today. It's going to be one crazy afternoon, after all," Alden exclaimed as he began to direct Yarna out of her stall and walk her around to Link's side of the barn, stopping a few feet in front of him. "So, are you ready to go?

Link nodded compliantly and hopped on top of Cinder, not even bothering to put on her reins seeing as he had become quite comfortable riding without them and preferred to use his knees to guide her. It made him feel more one with her.

"Let's go.

O O O

Zelda sat in the waiting room outside of the mayor's office with two body gaurds on either side and her attack dog, Fhitter lying obediently at her feet while he eyed everyone else in the room suspiciously, growling ever so slightly. Zelda had come to speak privately with Mayor Horell and Senator Boreski regarding her fears for the city and her visions of the outcome of the tournament. The two men were planning on attending the preliminaries with the rest of the congressman who had flown in to Parkins for the occasion, and she thought it would be best to warn the mayor so that he could spread it around while most of Hyland's leaders were all together.

Although she had preplanned what she was going to say, the anxiety was still welling up inside of her stomach, tugging at her heartÉwhat if they didn't believe her? Everything she had to say sounded like the ramblings of either an idiot or a four-year old girl who had just seen a scary movie and couldn't separate fairy tales from reality. Zelda glanced at the door and for a brief moment considered leaving, if she explained in detail to them of the dreams she had been having, they could very well think she was immature and never trust her judgment again. But of course, no one really took her seriously in the first place since she was just an icon of Hyland's culture and had no real political influence. And besides, people hadn't believed in the Legends for thousands of years, why would they start now?

_I have to at least try though,_ Zelda told herself bitterly, _if we can foreworn the people before it happens, and maybe even get the military involved, then we might just stand a chance this time around_

The phone rang on the receptionist's desk and the secretary promptly picked it up, placing it in between her ear and her shoulder she continued to type furiously, every so often saying "Yes," and "Of course, Sir," or "I'll have it ready in a moment. Finally she hung up the phone, rolled across the room on her swivel chair, came to a stop at the front desk, and conjured up an insincere smile.

"The Senator and Mayor will see you now, your highness," she said. Zelda nodded her understanding and stood up, clicking her tongue for Fhitter to follow her which he eagerly did, happy to finally be able to move after the long wait.

"I would prefer to go in alone with Fhitter," Zelda informed the two large men who were following her into the room. "I have some private business to disclose. The bodyguards exchanged a hesitant glance but agreed all the same.

"As you wish," they said in unison. Zelda smiled faintly and walked into the room where Horell and Boreski sat opposite one another at a long rectangular table that looked glossy enough to be wet. The room was relatively ordinary, save for the portraits of the many leaders of Hyland that lined the pale blue walls and the seven foot fish tank that acted as a window into the next room.

"Good morning, Princess Zelda, and how are you on this glorious morning?" Horell asked jovially after he and Boreski rose from their seats and bowed to Zelda who quickly put on her sophisticated face and stood up straighter than normal.

"I am feeling quite good this morning and I hope that you are as well. I am very much looking forward to the preliminaries this afternoon, but I must admit that I am a bit troubled," Zelda stated in an airy voice, hoping that she sounded more princess-like; she had been practicing for months and she felt that she had finally nailed it.

"And what might be causing this?" the senator asked dryly, seeming only to be interested in sounded important in the presence of royalty.

"Yes, yes, do tell us what is wrong, my dear," Horell chimed in, placing his elbows on the table and leaning forward curiously.

"Well, before I begin I must ask you to maintain an open mind, for what I am about to tell you is indeed a little farfetched," she answered hesitantly. The two men looked oddly back at the princess and motioned for her to continue.

Zelda walked to the head of the table and took a seat so that she could see both men's reactions clearly, then took a deep breath, and began. "I am certain that both of you are familiar with the old legends," the men nodded in agreement. "Now before you think me to be childish, know that through my life I have been their greatest skeptic, I have never once thought them to be true. But a few months ago, I started having these strange- visions I suppose you would call them. Every time I would try to read up on the religion of the Triforce for my ancient studies class, my vision would go black and I would find myself _seeing_ theseÉthese things, like people I would be meeting the next week, or places I would go, and the strange thing is, in a few days time I really would see those people and go to those places. I cannot really explain to you what it is because I'm not really quite sure of it myself, but a month ago I saw that a great terror was about to show itself in Hyland and spread throughout the world, and ironically enough, I saw that a young man would win the tournament, and he had a triangle throbbing on his handÉjust like in the stories. But-

"Wait, wait, wait, Princess Zelda. Are you trying to tell us that the _Evil King_ and great _Hero_ are coming to Hyland?" Horell laughed full heartedly. "Please, my Dear, tell me you are joking!

"It is not a joke," Zelda replied with a hint of desperation, "I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous but I think it is at least worth a little of our attention. I mean, Sir, no one has ever proven the stories to be make believe, have they?

"Yes, but no one has ever proven them to be true either, young Princess," Boreski Scoffed condescendingly as he brushed of the sleeves of his suit. "It seems to me, Miss Zelda, that you have an overly active imagination, which of course is perfectly healthy at your age but is also just the reason why we do not allow young people your age into the politics of the world.

"Senator, I knew you would react like this, but the fact is, I am hardly an immature fifteen year old, if it isn't too prideful to say, most of my life was spent learning how to live in the world of politics and work with the military. As a matter of fact, you probably won't meet another girl my age who knows _more_ on the subject than I, Sir!" Zelda rebutted, heatedly. There was nothing she hated more than when an adult tried to tell her she didn't understand the ways of the world. She was practically born an adult, she was never treated like a child or spoiled like a daughter, she grew up seeing the ugliest side of human nature and she did not appreciate some rich politician telling her that she was sheltered.

"Now, now Zelda!" Horell spoke up, trying to calm the young girl whom he had become quite fond of. "I understand how aggravating this may feel, but the fact of the matter is, we cannot make any military move to stop some fairy tale bad guy, especially without substantial proof. I hope you understand my dear, but do not worry, I know that teenagers have some raging hormones and it makes you have crazy thoughts sometimes. Just try to ignore it and make sure you get lots of sleep and exercise to relieve all your stress. I'm pretty sure those_visions_ of yours will go away then. All right?

Zelda could feel her blood boiling underneath her skin, although she tried to maintain her passive persona. How dare he patronize her in such a manner as to blame her gift on hormones! _Hormones _of all things! Horell frowned slightly at seeing how upset the princess seemed to be and made another attempt to make her feel as if she were being taken seriously.

"I'm sorry Princess, but if you come back with some solid evidence that some evil individual is planning an attack on Hyland, then we will be more than willing to aid you in your plight, but as of now, there is not much more that we can do but keep our eyes and ears open for any such possibilities. And believe me, I will make sure that I get the word around so that we can all be on the ready," the plump mayor then shot Zelda a fatherly wink and smiled kindly.

Oh how she hated it when adults tried to make her feel like she had interested them when really they were just trying to be nice. Zelda didn't know how to respond, should she continue pressing the issue and make herself look like a silly child, or pretend to be embarrassed of herself and regain a little of their respect. She chose the latter of the two

"Thank you Mayor. Wow, I feel so ashamed of wasting your time like this, I can't believe I actually thought those silly dreams I've been having were true! But they just seemed so real that I couldn't help but get a bit worked up about it. I hope you both forgive me, you have made my situation so much clearer," Zelda then slapped her hand to her forehead and tried to appear as if she were blushing with embarrassment. The senator merely rolled his eyes, obviously irritated, but Horell chuckled to himself.

"It is quite all right, my Dear, just try and think twice next time you decide to hold a conference with us," he lightly scolded. "Now why don't we get ready to head over to the stadium, the competition should begin in half an hour and what would everyone think if we didn't show up?" the Mayor and Boreski then stood up and pushed in their chairs, ready to leave.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Zelda proclaimed as cheerfully as possible, "Let's go Fhitter," the dog looked up from his spot beside her chair and leapt up. Together they all followed Horell to the door leading into the waiting room where Boreski stepped to the side and held open the door for Zelda, who looked up into the senator's eyes and stifled a gasp. A white cataract covered one of his eyes, he was partially blind and she hadn't even noticed it. Boreski gave her a crooked smile, knowing what had caused her to pause momentarily.

"Don't worry Princess," he reassured coldly, "If we see any flying dragons or evil floating castles around the city, we will be sure to look into it.

Zelda laughed sarcastically and marched out of the room, not even bothering to thank him for his forced politeness, something about him just made her angry and she didn't feel like going out of her way to pay him gratitude. Besides, he was a bit creepy as well, Fhitter obviously thought so, he had growled at him the whole time but the two men just hadn't heard him.

As Zelda pushed open the front door of City Hall and walked down the steps to her car, accompanied by her two bodyguards, she looked around the street to see all of the different faces, some elfin, some not, some old, and some young. All these people's lives were in danger and their trusted leaders were just to close-minded to see it.

_I guess it's no different than it was a million years ago_, Zelda thought with disdain, _here we are in modern times and people still refuse to see the truthÉ I suppose we're going to have to do this aloneÉagain. _

Goddesses help usÉ 

O O O

The whole stadium was completely jammed with young men and a few women, the lines to sign up were so long it was impossible to even see where the sign up tables were, and even the audience was full of cheering spectators and it was only the preliminaries. Link felt his body seize up as he and Alden slowly lead their mares through the dense crowd where they searched for the end of the line, there were so many boys who were much, much bigger and stronger looking than himself. Nearly all of them had proper sword fighting outfits that they wore in the leagues and most of them were a good foot taller than Link, most likely more experienced as well. But Link did not let himself give into his underlying fear, there was no way he would get into the tournament if he was unconfident so the best thing he could do for himself was ignore it and just try to think positively.

Unfortunately, positive things rarely happened to Link.

"Why if it isn't my good friend Arian and his little round-eared boyfriend. What you doing here, Hick Boys? This tournament is for big kids, you know that twerps? I'm surprised they allowed you through the doors without giving you a helmet.

Link and Alden both groaned in unison. It was Jelk.

"Hello Jelk. How wonderful to see you here," Link answered, turning around to face his enemy, " But I think this tournament is for people, not large pieces of meat. You better leave.

Jelk looked angry for a moment but then broke into absurd laughter along with his brainless cronies. "You're lucky the fighting hasn't started yet, shrimp, or else you'd be dead by now. Normally I don't hit girls, but in your case, I'll make an exception.

"Wow, Jelk, you've totally exceeded my expectations and have become an even bigger bastard than I ever could have imagined," Alden spoke up in mock seriousness. Link looked back at his friend in surprise, it was very rare when Alden actually stood up for himself, especially to Jelk.

"Oh, I'm sorry Round Ears, what did you say? I couldn't understand you through that ugly accent of yours? Alden recoiled at Jelk's comment and opened his mouth to respond but before he could, another voice came from behind the band of idiots.

"Do you have a problem with accents, Garnem? Jelk swung around and came face to face with a very intimidating Makellin, behind him stood Strats, who looked Jelk up and down and scoffed. Jelk narrowed his eyes and puffed out his chest a bit more, attempting to look frightening when really he was looking for the nearest escape.

"How about you keep your big Gerudo nose out of other people's business," commented one of Jelk's hench man who was slowly slinking behind his friend but crossing his arms in a tough manner all the same.

"How about we save our anger and tear each other apart later," Link butted in with exasperation. "Besides it's more fun when people are watching.

Jelk stared hard at Link for a long while, then turned his attention to Makellin and finally stocked off with the rest of his buddies, not daring to look back. Link sighed heavily and greeted Makellin and Strats.

"You know, you don't have to stick up for us all the time," Link mentioned, patting Cinder on the back as he did so.

"Yah, but sometimes it's just easierÉyou two aren't very assertive," Makellin shrugged back. Link and Alden raised their eyebrows indignantly but didn't say anything in return.

For twenty minutes the four companions stood in the sign up line until finally a burly man, about the age of thirty, called up Link to his table. Relieved, Link scurried up to him, guiding Cinder along behind, pulled out his crumpled application from his backpack and handed it to the dark haired man.

"All right, kid, your number is 6374," the man then looked over his application and burst out laughing when he reached how much experience he had. "One month! One month? Kiddo, do you understand that this is going to be an intense fight in which most of the competitors are professionals? One month is hardly enough time to learn how to pick up a sword, are you sure you want to do this? Link stared blankly back at his accuser and nodded. "All right kiddo, your life. Anyway, you are in group 47, your horse is going into stable five until you use her at the end, and here is your number, stick it on the back of your shirt," with that the man handed Link his number and and pointed him in the direction of stable five.

With his friends nowhere in sight, Link decided that he would go off on his own and meet up with them afterward. It was fairly difficult fighting his way through to the stables but eventually he made it and was able to find a spot to tie up Cinder before heading off toward where his group's first rotation was. As he approached the large sign that read **47**, he saw at least forty men and boys all standing around, several that he recognized from school and one lone girl who was standing on the outside of the group, stretching out her legs and arms. Link's heart leapt as he realized that his first rotation was archery, what a perfect way to start.

Suddenly a loud horn sounded throughout the stadium and the judges slowly walked out to their panels in front of every station and began explaining what to do. There were six judges in the archery station and one of them stood, asking all of the competitors in 47 to get into a line in front of the 10 bulls eyes.

"All right, there will be two different types of archery in this rotation, still targeting and moving targeting, you will only have one shot for still, but you must be able to hit five different moving targets in a certain time limit. Now get your bows and take two arrows from the box on the wall. We will be going ten at a time in numerical order. I would recommend you memorize the order for future rotations because no one is going to want to wait for you to figure it out. Link proceeded to grab his arrows and then took a look to see where he would be in the line-up.

_Last._ _Great_.

"Now, Begin!" called the judge from his seat behind them. Link stood on the side for a few minutes watching as everyone took their best shot, many of them hit bulls-eyes but a lot of the younger competitors missed the target completely. After a fifteen-minute wait, Link finally took his place in front of the last target, feeling very confident in his archery skills, beside him stood the tall girl with short brown hair, she didn't seem particularly confident, but Link could tell by how she moved her bow as she prepared to shoot that she was very well trained.

"Ready," the judge called. Link raised his bow in the unorthodox manner that he always did, which received a few murmurs from his group, and waited for the command to release.

"Shoot!

Crack!

His arrow landed dead center yet again.

_Another bulls-eye_ _for Link_, he thought proudly before looking down the row of people, none of them were able to hit center except him and the girl. _Maybe I have a chance_

The moving targets took even longer than the still targets because most people took more time to release their arrows, the small little bulls-eyes that were moving back and forth and up and down on a cable seemed almost taunting in a way. Link couldn't wait for his turn. No one was doing very well in this category except five older guys and one teenaged boy who must have been about eighteen, and even they hadn't managed to hit five bulls-eyes.

Once again Link's number was finally up. Quickly, he ran to the last empty spot and prepared to begin by holding the bow directly in front of him and squinting his left eye to get a clearer view.

"Shoot!

No one started, from what Link heard, most of them were still trying to aim. With a lopsided smile he struck the first target, which was moving the slowest, yanked a new arrow from his pocket and hit the next one, then the fastest one, the smallest, and finally the one that had the most complicated movement.

They were all perfect shots.

Not surprised, but thankful, Link let out a sigh of relief and glanced inconspicuously at the judges, if they were impressed, they sure didn't let it show. The rest of his group hadn't even finished yet, although that one girl was almost done, most of her shots had been dead on, but on her last one she fumbled with nervousness and struck a bit off center. Discouraged, she kicked the ground and followed the rest of the group to the next rotation. Link did the same.

The following station was agility; this time the whole group could go all at once which made it go much faster than archery. To start of the course were monkey bars that hung about ten feet over a mud pit, after that was a climbing wall followed by a rope that was used to swing to the next platform, next came a large concrete puzzle that the competitors had to solve in order to progress to the leaping platforms, finally each one of them had to push a large box that they used to jump onto a high platform which they then jumped off of, the last thing was the hurdles.

As they all lined up at the start, Link could feel his legs begin to shake with the desire to run, it was almost impossible to contain his energy which now seemed to be pouring from his being.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small figure in a gray robe waving down to him from a special seating area in the audience where the leaders of Hyland sat. It was Chalen, Link waved back sheepishly, wondering why she was in such an important spot among such well respected people. Then he suddenly noticed the golden haired girl seated beside her, the princess. They were both looking down on him, if he didn't know better they both seemed almost frightened.

_What the hell?_

But before Link was able to think about it any longer he realized that the people around him had already leapt onto the monkey bars and were now making their way up the wall. He hadn't heard them start and now he was hopelessly behind!

O O O

"Link, go! GO!" Chalen called out to the static boy.

"Wow, Chalen, that's definitely hero material right there," Zelda mumbled, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. Chalen merely glared at the princess and continued calling down to Link who had finally realized his mistake and lunged onto the bars.

"He's lost it," Chalen whined, falling back down into her seat. "It's over. I was wrong. Zelda simply nodded her head sympathetically.

"It's not over yet, who knows maybe he'llÉcatch up. Besides even if he loses, there is always that other one, although

"Although what?" Chalen asked dismally, but yet not taking her eyes off Link.

"I don't know, he just seems really rugged and-" before Zelda could finish her statement Chalen's voice drowned her out.

"Look! Look, he's catching up!

O O O

Link threw himself at the climbing wall and tugged himself up as if he were a monkey; he was going so fast he could feel his nails tearing, and when he reached the top he nearly fell off with the force he used to yank himself on the platform. He quickly scanned his situation and found himself still very far behind so without another thought he grabbed onto the rope and pushed off from the wall as hard his he could. With a total disregard for his safety, Link released his grip from the rope and flew over the platform without even touching it and fell eighteen feet before hitting the ground with a painful thud.

Quickly rubbing his knees, Link began to put the large puzzle together, inserting pieces in their proper order until finally he figured it out and was able to progress. He had caught up, passing two people, Link climbed onto the first platform and leapt to the next one like a frog on a lily pad, not even bothering to stop and think out his jumps. By the time he had dropped down from the last platform and began pushing the box over to the ledge, he had passed exactly twenty people which meant he had about twenty more people to pass. He had to hurry.

Once he had pushed the box far enough, he then pulled himself up the platform and ran to the edge but out of nowhere came a tall Gerudo boy with shaggy black hair and small rip down his right ear who "accidentally" bumped into him, causing him to plummet to the ground and land on his right arm which gave off a loud snap.

_Oh god_, Link though while pushing himself back to his feet,_ my sword fighting hand_.

But before he was even able to think about what had happened, the Gerudo boy ran passed him, looking back with a familiar, crooked, toothy smile.

_Smokes._

Realization dawned on Link at that moment, it was the same boy whose earring he had ripped out all those years ago and now, he was giving him paybackÉjust like he had vowed. Link narrowed his eyes and bolted down the track faster than he had ever run in his entire life. He heard the audience cheering, he didn't know if it was for him or not but quite frankly he didn't care, all he wanted to do was give that asshole what he deserved.

Link could finally see the leader of the race, a tall lanky boy whom he recognized as being a big idol from the 12th grade who had won many games for their school. Behind him was Smokes. Lowering his head and holding his arm against his side so as not to jostle it, Link sped down the track, passing everyone in front of him. First one person, then five, now ten, eight until he found himself trailing Smokes, who was also going at an absurdly fast pace. Now the spectators were screaming wildly, could they really be cheering for him?

Link and Smokes were now neck in neck, but Link was slowly gaining the upper hand and when he finally passed him he too looked back and mouthed out the word "Devil" before taking off at a break neck speed, determined to win. Just as Link had expected, the boy in first place was beginning to tire and was starting to go slower than he had been. With only a few feet left of the track, Link took his chances and lunged forward with all the strength he had and slid on his side across the finish line.

The crowd and all the competitors on the sidelines were clapping furiously, maybe they had been watching. Now noticing the intense pain rushing through his arm, and the scratches across his stomach and face, Link rolled over on his back and stood up.

_Arian?_ You're the one who beat me?" Came a voice from behind him. Link turned around, rubbing his arm, and came face to face with the boy from his school.

"Oh hey," he said, still a bit dazed, "Congratulations.

"Congratulations? Arian, you beat _me_!

Link's eyes widened and he turned around to see the rest of the group now crossing the finish line, off on the side stood Smokes who was leaning against a platform, grimacing.

"I hope you aren't right handed," the boy continued, but Link hadn't even heard him, he was too busy staring off into space. He had done it.

How in the name of all that was good had he done that?

O O O

"I- IÉ" Zelda stuttered, leaning over the railing of the stands, still not believing what she had seen. "Chalen, did you see that?

Chalen just smiled smugly and folded her arms over her chest, not even bothering to answer.

There was no need to.

O O O


	9. Lefty

It's been five years and I'm back. There are a million things I could say right here, but I think this chapter is long overdue…

It's short, but I hope it's worth a read.

OOO

_Chapter Nine_

_Lefty_

"Young man, you really shouldn't be moving around like this with a broken arm. You may aggravate the injury!" Link ignored the nurse's warnings and continued to try and push his way past her.

"Ma'am you don't understand! I'm fine! Please, just let me go," Link pleaded. The young nurse shook her head violently and blocked him from leaving the medical tent.

"No, Young man, _you_ don't understand! Your arm is severely injured. You can't even move it! If I let you compete in this tournament I will be guilty of medical malpractice! Even if I did, how do you expect to fight? Ride a horse? You're right handed!" The nurse was clearly flustered. Link's unabated pestering was beginning to ware down her nerves.

"I can use my left hand!" Link insisted. His mind became frantic as he slowly ran out of excuses. "I'm ambidextrous!"

"Oh really?" the nurse asked with a raised eyebrow. "Would you care to write your name for me?" She pulled a black pen from her pocket and offered Link her clipboard. He hesitated for a moment, taken aback by her gesture.

"Uh sure," he choked. The nurse placed the clipboard on his lap and Link awkwardly leaned forward, trying to look natural. He struggled to keep the letters lined up and the same size. Sweat lightly trickled down his forehead, leaving little droplets of nervousness all over the paper. The finished product was hardly legible. The nurse gave him a skeptical look and rolled her eyes.

"That's your signature, huh? It's awfully messy," she said with false curiosity. Link could tell she was only trying to prod a confession out of him, but he was not about to give in.

"It's artistic," he explained with the utmost earnestness. The nurse's eyes widened in disbelief and the two maintained eye contact for what seemed like hours. Link stared back at her, cocking his head slightly and smiling innocently.

"You are unbelievable," the nurse finally sighed, throwing her arms in the air. "I'm very sorry. It is clear how much this tournament means to you, but it is really in your best interest not to compete. It would be absolutely ridiculous!" Link lowered his head at the nurse's words. It was apparent that he would not be convincing her. "I'll take you to the stadium seating so you can watch the rest of the competition. They're very nice seats, I think you will enjoy it." As the nurse prepared to help Link out of the tent, three paramedics burst through the entrance carrying a tall, mustached man in a stretcher.

"This guy received a serious blow to the head during the hand-to-hand combat rotation!" the head medic informed. "We need everyone over here _now_!" Link's nurse instructed him to lie down on a cot in the corner until she returned. She and the other nurses in the tent scurried over to help. The tent that had been relatively quiet for the duration of Link's treatment suddenly became total chaos. The entire medical team was rushing around and seemed completely unaware of Link's presence. A sly smile crept across his face. This was his chance.

Carefully, Link tightened his sling with his right hand and, ever so slightly, slid off his cot onto the dirt floor. Before lowering himself completely to the ground, he stuffed two pillows underneath his blanket. Just in case his nurse checked on him. The entrance to the tent was swarming with nurses and paramedics, so he slunk towards the opposite end, hoping to find a spot where the tarp was slack enough to slip under. Crawling on his stomach was excruciatingly painful, even though he tried to put the majority of his weight on his right shoulder. When he was halfway across the tent and underneath a bed, Link pushed off his elbow and rolled onto his back. For the remainder of the way, he used his feet to propel him. The forty-foot journey to the end of the tent was agonizingly slow, and Link had to use every last bit of energy just to wriggle a single inch farther. When he was about ten feet away from his destination, the muffled voice of a medic made him freeze in his tracks.

"Okay, I think that's about all we can do. He should be fine. Send him to the hospital for overnight observation and notify his family immediately. Everyone may return to their business."

"Shit," Link mumbled under his breath. He could hear footsteps coming in his direction. He was so close, but there was no way he could make it out at his pace. With a deep inhale, Link rolled back onto his belly and began clawing and kicking as fast as he could across the remaining distance. When he finally made it to the end of the tent, he stuck his good arm underneath the tarp and felt around for a spot that was not tacked down to the ground.

The footsteps were coming closer. Link could feel his heart pumping in his chest. The rush of blood surged through his body and threatened to explode from his throbbing arm. There was so much adrenaline coursing through his veins, he could hardly think.

"Come on, come on," Link pleaded, as he pulled at a loose stake. An opening was beginning to form. After a valiant battle with the tent, Link managed to squeeze his way out through a tight hole. For once in his life, Link was grateful for his small stature.

It took Link several attempts to stand up. He had forgotten how difficult it was to function with one hand. He hadn't broken an arm since he was ten. A Dragon gang leader had hit him with a chair. At least his past experiences had taught him to cope with the pain. Maybe it would help him today. Link quickly dusted himself off and scanned the stadium. He couldn't see his group anywhere. His stomach lurched. What if he had missed a rotation? His hopes of competing would be dashed.

Link began to run. His eyes darted from person to person as he desperately searched for a familiar face: someone from his group, someone who could tell him where to go, _and anyone_ who could help him.

OOO

"Where did he go? Do you think he's really hurt?" Saria asked worriedly. She was leaning so far over the stadium wall, Zelda had to pull her back to her seat.

"I think they took him to the medical tent," Zelda answered thoughtfully, as she gazed in the direction her potential hero had disappeared. "He took a pretty brutal fall. I wouldn't be surprised if his arm was broken." Saria groaned and fell into her seat.

"He has to come back. He has to!" Saria was not expecting a response from Zelda. She was trying to reassure herself that her instincts had been correct. She needed Link to be the one. She had waited for centuries to see his face, and there he was. The perfect image of what she remembered. She knew this Link Arian. She had loved him once. In her mind, if this was not the Hero, then there simply was no Hero. Saria had invested all of her hopes in this boy. To lose him would mean losing _her_ Link all over again. She could not bear to suffer like that yet another time.

Zelda sensed her teacher's gloomy demeanor and sighed. Was there any way to lighten her spirits? She had never seen Saria express much emotion, but recently, Zelda had noticed that Saria's moods were directly linked to the nature of their discussions of the Hero. If there was any talk at all that suggested the Hero would be different from his previous forms, Saria would become deeply depressed. Zelda knew that Saria had been very close to the Hero, but that was literally ages ago. How could she possibly remember? How could she possibly still care? Zelda also felt a fondness for the scrappy boy she had just watched risk life and limb to win a race. However, she also knew that she could not let emotions and personal feelings entangle with her judgments. She knew her duties. She knew that to be Princess Zelda, she must be selfless. Most of all, she knew that she could never feel for the Hero the way Saria did. The Goddesses already predetermined the fates of the Princess of Destiny and her legendary Hero of Time.

"Chalen, look!" Zelda pointed down at one of the competitors and smiled cheerfully back at Saria. "He's doing extremely well. He could even be our guy." Saria did not appear enthusiastic towards Zelda's notion. "Come on Chalen! He looks kind of like the other one. He just has darker hair. And if he shaved that beard they would be like brothers…or maybe distant cousins." Chalen unfolded her arms and smiled weakly. She could tell that the princess was trying to cheer her up.

"Yes, you're right. There are many promising people here today," Chalen admitted reluctantly. "Who knows, the Hero might even be a woman this time around. That young lady down in the combat rotation is quite formidable." Zelda nodded her agreement and the two companions smiled in unison.

Neither of them was happy.

OOO

Link had practically run across the entire length of the stadium before he allowed himself to stop and rest his aching body. That fall had done more damage than he thought. His knees were ready to buckle, he could not inhale without experiencing shooting pains in his chest, and his right eye was starting to swell from the impact of the ground.

"It's too late," Link thought to himself as he checked his wristwatch. It had been nearly an hour since he was treated for his injury. He must have missed an entire rotation by now. Link lowered his head into his good hand and released a long, exasperated groan. It was over. His one and only chance to make something of his life had been cruelly and unfairly taken from him.

"Ink! Hey, over here!" A familiar voice rang out amidst a throng of competitors making their way to the next activity. Link looked up and sifted through the faces in the crowd. He spotted Alden being swept away by the current of people. "What are you doing over here?" Alden's gaze landed on Link's limp arm. "Damn boy! What happened to you?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it later," Link shouted back. Alden was rapidly moving farther and farther away. "Have you seen group 47?" Link added hurriedly. Alden's mouth dropped and his eyes grew wide.

"You're in 47? That sucks for you! We were just watching those guys. They're in combat still. There are only a few big ass men left fighting it out. The judges are doing it the old fashioned way, only one person can win in an entire group. It takes forever and is kind of unfair but it's damn fun to watch! Hey Ink, you'll never guess what happened. I…Link? Hey, Link!"

Before Alden could finish his story, Link was already sprinting towards the end of the field where he remembered seeing the combat station. As he approached, he could vaguely make out two different matches being fought on a long wooden stage. The rest of the competitors were watching on the sidelines. Most appeared dejected, but a few were clearly proud of their performance. Link could see that one of the fights had just ended. The brown-haired girl he had noticed earlier fainted before the match could be fairly won. She was being pulled off on a stretcher when he arrived in front of the judges' table. The match between the two remaining competitors had just begun.

Link waited awkwardly on the side of the stage. He could hear whispers from the other competitors and spectators in the stands. He assumed they were gawking at his handicapped state.

"No way, he isn't thinking of fighting is he?"

"He can't be serious."

"Braz will squash that shrimp!"

Link tried his best to ignore their speculations. This was not the first time he had been considered an underdog. He did not care if he "aggravated the injury" or made a total fool of himself. There was no way he was backing out of the competition without a fight.

The man who Link assumed was Braz gave his challenger a solid punch to the head and knocked the man unconscious. The match had lasted less than a minute. Link knew immediately that this brute was the one who sent the tall, mustached man into the medical tent earlier. The judge seated in the middle of the table rose from his seat and began to announce the victor. Link was jolted from his thoughts. He nearly stumbled as he leapt into the center of the stage

"Wait!" Link choked. "There is one more challenger!" The stern judge stared Link directly in the eyes.

"Number 6374, what exactly are you doing?" he asked in a fierce, rumbling voice. His eyes nearly paralyzed Link.

"I…I was in the medical tent when this rotation started. I'm sorry, Sir, but I would like to compete," Link's words tumbled out of his mouth. The judges turned to one another and whispered amongst themselves.

"Number 6374, how do you expect to compete with your arm in a cast? I assume you are right handed," asserted a female judge who sounded genuinely interested in Link's request. Link was sick of hearing this question. After an hour of formulating lengthy explanations and excuses, he was done trying to convince people of his ability.

"I can do it," he stated simply.

"Do you even have a sword? How will you carry a shield?" shot back another judge who was losing his patience dealing with a stubborn handicap. In all of the confusion, Link had totally forgotten his sword back at the agility course. How could he have been so stupid?

"He can have my sword," called out a voice from behind the judge's table. It was the girl who fainted. Link had not noticed how tall she was until now. She wore a sleeveless tunic that exposed her thick arms. Her muscles might have been bigger than Link's. She gingerly walked around the stage and handed Link her wooden sword. She addressed Link but did not make eye contact.

"I can tell you deserve to be here. Don't let them intimidate you," she whispered so that only Link could hear. With that, she swallowed hard and slunk off the stage. Link was astonished. He was so stunned he had not even thanked her for her generosity.

"And a shield?" reiterated the judge who now seemed ready to escort Link off the stadium floor.

"I don't need one," Link responded firmly. The audience had grown so loud Link could hardly hear the sound of his own voice. _What were they cheering for?_

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a funny green shape on the jumbo screen that sat atop the wall of the stadium. After a moment of scrutiny, he realized that _he _was the funny green shape. The cameraman had been bored enough to film his conversation with the judges. The spectators, however, did not seem to find it boring. Link concluded that it was probably because he broke his arm. Apparently, misery made for good entertainment.

Link was not the only one catching on to his momentary stardom. The judges began to turn around in their seats and watch the reaction of the audience to the screen. Puzzled expressions graced their faces.

"The people appear to be captivated by you, Number 6374," acknowledged the stone-faced judge. With a final nod to the other judges, and one last skeptical look at Link, the white haired judge motioned for Link to enter the ring. "The rules are the same as they have been for the past thousand years: anything goes." The judge took his seat and folded his hands. "You may impress us now," he stated airily.

Link bit his lip and nodded his head. The crowd erupted into an untamable cheer as he stepped into the ring. He hardly even noticed what was going on about him. All he could see was Braz. The man was unfazed by the commotion his hopelessly small challenger had created. He merely tightened his belt and stood patiently as Link took on a fighting stance. Braz could hardly consider a scrawny, broken little boy like Link, a worthy competitor.

Link gave a few practice swings with his left arm and accidentally flung his sword behind his back. Laughter and jeers spread through the crowd of surrounding competitors. Link's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Okay, so maybe I'm not ambidextrous," Link thought to himself. He hastily reclaimed his sword and clenched the hilt until his knuckles turned white. For a moment he closed his eyes and tried to imagine himself fighting with his left hand. He envisioned his body stronger, faster, and more accurate.

"I can do this," he muttered repeatedly. "It's just Makellin. You're just fighting Makellin."

There was silence throughout the stadium. The anticipation was almost worse than the pain Link was enduring. The judges had their pens in hand and they all sat bolt upright, ready to criticize every little thing possible. Link blocked them out of his mind. Their opinions did not matter to him. All that mattered was the pending battle. All that mattered was surviving. The white haired judge cleared his throat.

"Begin!" The judge's words reverberated in Link's ears.

Link lunged forward before Braz had even raised his sword. It was strange not having his right arm to balance him, but for some reason, Link almost felt…more familiar with his left hand. The tip of Link's sword grazed Braz's forehead, but he managed to escape the full power of the strike. A trickle of blood made its way down his nose and lightly dripped to the ground. Braz, and the rest of group 47 stood in shock. No one had landed a blow on Braz the whole afternoon. Link was the only one who did not know this information. He was already lamenting that the rapid offensive Makellin had taught him did not work.

Link landed in a low squat only two feet away from his opponent. Once Braz finally regained his composure, he raised his sword high above his head and brought it down with such enormous force, it broke through the thick wood floor. Link barely rolled out of the way in time.

"Oh Goddesses, that could have been my head," Link thought.

Braz yanked his sword out of the floor and charged at Link who was still trying desperately to get back on his feet. As he pushed himself to a sitting position, his arm gave off another audible "crack" and he fell back to the hard wood floor. A new and intense pain surged through his entire body. It was now obvious to everyone in the stands that Link was just an animal waiting to be slaughtered. He was in a hopeless situation. Never the less, Link continued to fight. Somewhere inside him, he could feel strength. He knew this was not over.

He let out a small yelp of pain as another surge went through his bones. Ironically, it did not come from his broken arm. All of a sudden, his left hand was feeling terribly hot.

OOO

"Get up! Please, Link, get up!" Saria cried. "He's going to get himself killed!" Zelda could hardly hear Saria's words over the raging crowd. She just stared on at the scene indifferently, unsure of what to feel.

As she watched Link fall on his chest, a strong, icy wind blew through her hair. She looked up to the sky, expecting storm clouds, but there was nothing. The Hyland flag's lined along the walls were not blowing. Everyone around her seemed unaware of the drastic change in temperature. Zelda pulled her coat tighter.

Amidst the noise, she thought she heard a howl.


	10. Possessed

Millennial Witness

Chapter 10

_Possessed_

The crowd continued to roar. Link could hear shouts of encouragement and warning from nearby in the stands. The wooden floor reverberated with Braz's footsteps. Link could feel him coming closer and closer until Braz's foreboding shadow loomed directly over him. Link stopped struggling to get to his feet. He knew there was not enough time to evade Braz's head splitting blow. He allowed his body to go rigid as he gritted his teeth and prepared for what he assumed would be another debilitating injury. Unfortunately, Braz wanted Link's final moments to be far more humiliating than a single punch to the head.

The audience watched in horror and delight as Braz roughly grabbed the collar of Link's shirt and with one hand effortlessly pulled him off the ground to dangle three feet in the air. Braz held Link only inches away from his face and stared directly into his unworthy opponent's eyes. Link crinkled his nose upon first inhaling the fowl stench that was emanating from Braz's snarling mouth. Braz obliged Link's involuntary recoil by spitting on his swollen and bleeding face. Spectators who were close enough to witness Braz's unsportsmanlike gesture booed in disgust. Braz ignored the upset and pulled his hostage even closer so that Link's ear was practically touching his lips.

"Look you little shit," Braz grumbled resentfully, "the problem with half pints like you is that you don't have any respect. You think you can just come on our territory and be equal. Well, we're not equal. We never have been. I'm so sick of you shits. I wouldn't give a fuck if both your arms were broken clear off your body. Consider it a reminder of your place." Braz dropped Link to the ground and kicked him repeatedly in the stomach. Link's body was already so swollen and sore, he could not even muster up the energy to roll out of the way. He just lied at Braz's feet like a miserable dog.

Link had never felt more ashamed in life. He was making a fool of himself. He had totally over estimated his capabilities and now he was being taunted in front of thousands of people. Even the unbiased audience felt sorry for him. He could not let it end like this. He had come too far and waited too long for this moment. Link had spent his entire existence being kicked around and ridiculed by people who thought they had power over him, merely because they were bigger and stronger.

All of the pent up rage he had ever felt, stemming from his countless traumatic experiences, suddenly came to the surface after years of suppression. He had been raised with no parents, no money, no nurturing environment, and no sympathy. His entire life had been a battle just to survive. No one knew suffering like he did. No one knew _strength_ like he did. He would be damned if he let anyone call him weak ever again.

A shrieking wind blew through Link's hair as he slowly regained control of his body. The burning sensation returned in his left hand, but it was not as intense as it had been earlier. It pulsed with dull warmth in unison with Link's heartbeat. He shook it out and dismissed the tingling as a minor sprain. He could tend to his injuries later. Now was not the time to be distracted.

Link waited for Braz to pull back his leg in preparation for another kick and then made his move. As Braz's foot swooped in for one final thrashing, Link grabbed his shoe with his good hand and yanked it away from Braz's center of gravity. As Link had expected, Braz was all brawn and no balance. The brutish oaf came crashing to the ground, giving Link enough time to scramble to his feet and reclaim his sword. When he picked up the wooden hilt, he noticed it felt different. It almost felt…better. Link rotated his wrist and gave his weapon a few practice swings.

Out of the corner of his eye, Link could see Braz clumsily getting back on his feet. He looked very displeased. For a moment, the two adversaries locked eyes, and everything around Link seemed to fall silent. He was absorbed in his own world. The images around him melted away. The deafening noise became nothing but a hollow murmur in the back of Link's mind. Even Braz and his ogre-like features were subdued into the form of moving shadows. Link no longer saw his opponent as a massive, unconquerable fortress. He could see behind the physical body. He could see the movement. The energy.

Link could see how to beat him.

Braz charged, but Link remained still. In less than a second, Braz was lunging through the air with sword overhead. Link waited until Braz was about to make contact with his skull before he fluidly rolled underneath his soaring body and hopped back up into a low squat. Braz had intended to take Link out with the force of his attack and had not planned on making a graceful dissent back to the ground. His combat technique was to destroy the enemy before he had the chance to engage in any real battle.

Link drew back his sword and held it at Braz's knee level. Before Braz could even determine what had happened, let alone calculate his next move, Link had already moved in for the kill. He gripped his wooden sword tightly, and for some inexplicable reason, he felt like he had more control. His weapon was no longer a tool; it was an extension of his arm. He was barely even aware of his movements anymore. It was like his body already knew what to do.

Without hesitation, Link channeled all his energy and power into his sword hand, and released it into a circular parry. For a moment Braz stood completely stiff as he released a shocked grunt. He teetered back and forth on his monstrous feet before his knees finally crumpled, causing him to fall face first to the ground.

The surrounding competitors and audience collectively gasped. It was almost completely silent while everyone stared at Braz's unmoving form. Link stared as well, but he was not waiting for Braz to recover. He knew it was already over. The head judge rose from his seat, picked up his microphone and cleared his throat.

"The winner of Group 47's combat rotation is Number 6374," announced the judge. The astonishment in his voice was easily detectable. Link's victorious image was flashed on the jumbo screen once again and the audience cheered louder than ever.

"Everyone loves an underdog story," the judge joked after he turned off the microphone and sat back down.

Link hardly noticed the activities going on around him. His body was still shaking from the bizarre phenomena he had just experienced. Was it one of those spiritual epiphany things? Maybe he was suffering from a concussion. He did hit his head pretty hard. Whatever it was, he was feeling very ill.

"6374, are you all right?" asked one of the judges, who had been studying the crippled winner's curious behavior. Link jolted back into reality and realized he was still staring at the spot Braz had fallen. The oaf had since been removed on a stretcher and treated for his knee injuries. Link looked confusedly back at the judge and blinked hard. He had to snap out of this stupor. He nodded his head to assure the judge he was good enough to continue in the competition and awkwardly made his way off the stage. He stumbled down the stairs, nearly falling on several occasions, and trailed behind the rest of his group as they journeyed over to the final rotation.

Link did not remember how long it took to walk over to the stables. It could have been days for all he knew. He was too preoccupied with wrestling his inescapable physical pain and mental befuddlement. His head was wringing. His eyes were blurry. More than once, he had to remind himself of his name and think hard about where he was. At one point, he even found himself hallucinating. He could have sworn his body was covered in fur; and the dragon selling peanuts in the stands looked so _real_.

When his group finally approached Stable 5 and Link could make out an auburn mare tied out front, his eyes swelled with tears. She was so beautiful. Her mane was so white and pure. It sparkled in the sunlight. Her eyes were dark and kind. Link was overcome with unspeakable joy. With no hope of coming to his senses, he ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her neck, pressing his face against her sleek coat.

_I knew you'd come back to me._

Link leaned against the horse and hummed a peaceful melody. The rest of group 47 exchanged puzzled looks as they passed him. They all agreed that he must have been hit exceptionally hard, or perhaps was taking powerful pain medication. Even the mare seemed perplexed by the blonde stranger's unsolicited affection. Link probably could have remained in that position for the rest of the preliminaries, if he had not been interrupted. A man dressed in a professional uniform stood patiently beside his red horse. Luckily, Link did not recognize him because he would have been terribly embarrassed had he known the man was an international equestrian champion. The man tapped Link on the shoulder so as not to startle him.

"I'm very glad you like my horse, but would you mind if I take her out for a warm up run?" asked the man in a gentle tone of voice. As a horseback rider, he was familiar with head trauma and did not want to aggravate the boy's headache. Link slowly opened his eyes and tried to make sense of the noises he had just heard. He could no longer decipher words.

The man shook his head knowingly and helped pry Link's arms off his horse before guiding him in the direction of a nurse who was stationed along the racetrack. The sight of the nurse's white outfit and square hat was enough to shake Link out of his trance. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"I'm sorry," Link mumbled almost coherently. "I was just…um…a little tired …for a second. I just need to sit…yah." The man watched Link with uncertainty as he allowed him to wobble off toward a bail of hay leaning against the stable.

Link plopped onto the hay and tried to collect himself. He could not think over the incessant murmuring voices he could hear babbling in his mind. The throbbing in his left hand was starting to subside, but it only emphasized the pain in his right arm more. He was so cold.

Where was that damn wind coming from?

His long ears twitched. Someone was talking to him. He raised his aching head to see the brown haired girl.

"Hi," she repeated, still refusing to make direct eye contact. She stood silently for a second as if she was waiting for him to finish her sentence. When it was apparent that Link was too incapacitated to function without a little help, she continued. "I was wondering if I could have my sword back." Link stared at her as his mind picked apart what she had said.

He gaped stupidly.

When it finally came to him, Link jumped to his feet and furiously searched for the borrowed object. He spun in a circle and ran his hands along his belt loops, where he normally stuck his weapons. The girl stifled a laugh.

"Um…I think…" Her voice trailed off and she pointed at his back. Link still looked confused. He stuck out his lip as he cautiously reached over his back. Sure enough, his fingers knocked the hilt. He had shoved the sword into his shirt. Link's cheeks flushed. He opened his mouth to try and explain himself but all that came out was senseless muttering. The girl recognized his embarrassment and raised a silencing hand.

"It's okay," she assured with a giggle. "It's traditional to sheath your sword on your back. That's probably just how you were trained." Her lips quivered slightly as she tried to conjure a smile. The girl was so hesitant; she seemed unsure when it was appropriate to display emotion. For being so large and muscular, she was uncharacteristically shy and soft spoken. She appeared to be a little older than Link, but her hair was already graying near the roots.

"Oh, I didn't even thank you for lending me this," Link said once he pulled the sword from his shirt and handed it to the girl. "You're a real life saver," he added with a grin. She smiled as well, and to his surprise, ventured to make eye contact with him.

"You're welcome," she replied. "For a moment you had me thinking that I enabled your death. You really turned that fight around." She paused abruptly and rubbed her eyes. She looked like she was fighting off sleep. "I'm Sheema, by the way."

"Link," he stated simply. He was having trouble stringing together complex sentences.

"You're really good Link," Sheema began. "At everything, I mean. I noticed you in the beginning…in archery. Your style is very... unique. I've never seen anything like it. Who trained you?"

Link chuckled uneasily and slid his good hand into his pants pocket. He thought for a moment and considered the various ways he could phrase his response without making himself sound too inexperienced.

There really was no way around it.

"Honestly," Link said with finality, "I just started learning all this stuff about a month ago. My friend from school taught me."

"Really?" Sheema said wistfully. She lowered her eyes back to the ground and sighed.

Silence.

Link started to fidget. A minute must have passed since their conversation lapsed. He was beginning to feel very uncomfortable and watching Sheema stare into oblivion made him disoriented all over again. He could not tell if he was hallucinating or if Sheema's eyes were really turning pink. She was looking almost ghostly with her graying hair. It gave Link the chills. Sheema had a very strange aura about her. Just being around her made him feel…weird.

Link leaned forward and lightly tapped Sheema on the shoulder. Her body shuttered in response. Startled, Link took a step back and withdrew his hand. The wind was blowing furiously now. Link looked up into the sky. The world seemed to be swirling around them, but Sheema showed no signs of noticing. Rain and hail began to fall as thick, gray clouds descended onto the field, engulfing Link and Sheema in a violent haze. Link became frantic. He knew a storm had been coming. He had felt it. With urgency, he grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her toward the stables, but she would not budge. She remained stone-like as she stared up into the sky. It was like she could see something that he could not. This bothered him even more.

"Sheema! Sheema, we've got to go! It's hailing!" Link continued to pull on her lifeless arm. She shivered again and slowly met his gaze. Her eyes were definitely pink.

Before either of them could say a word, or even anticipate what would happen next, everything disappeared.

OOO

Zelda pulled the hood of her jacket over her head and examined the audience in the stands. She furrowed her brow and leaned in to whisper to Saria.

"You don't feel that, do you?" Zelda asked in a hushed voice.

"What? The rain?" Saria responded nonchalantly as she popped another peanut in her mouth. Her spirits had lifted considerably since her hero's victory.

"Yeah," Zelda said with a subtle nod.

"No, I don't feel it," Saria looked around. "No one else does either."

Zelda discreetly opened her hand to the sky and allowed the phantom rain to collect in her palm. She closed her eyes and felt it run through her fingers.

"It's not twilight rain," Zelda confirmed. "It's too heavy."

"Of course it's not," Saria interjected. "Do you not remember the night you were awakened?"

Zelda nodded but did not speak.

"This is not a regular storm," Saria continued. "When rain falls, it washes away layers of dirt on the earth. It reveals the land's history."

Saria paused and gazed past the walls of the stadium out onto the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was a tapestry of orange and violet hues. Translucent rain clouds appeared in her mind's eye, leaving a dark and foreboding imprint on her ancient city's skyline.

"This is not a regular storm," Saria repeated, her eyes now closed. "Something is being unearthed. It is a storm of awakening."

Saria's voice trailed off mysteriously, leaving Zelda with a feeling of uneasiness in her stomach. Although she could barely remember the day of her awakening, she sensed something fundamentally different in the storm around her. Somehow it felt conflicted. Chaotic. It was as if the wind and the rain were fighting for dominion over the weather.

A buzzer rang out marking the beginning of the last rotation. On one side of the field a horde of men leapt onto a series of monkey bars, the sound of wooden swords resonated from below the stands, and far away archers watched hopefully as their arrows cracked against an unforgiving target. Zelda watched on unenthusiastically. She was tired. Everything rested on her decision; absolutely everything. She sat quietly, her hands folded elegantly in her lap. For the hundredths time, Zelda wondered how much longer her existence would be tied to this endless curse.

Rain fell silently on her skin as she removed her coat. Zelda could feel a puddle of water accumulating on her seat, but she did not move. While everyone else in the stadium enjoyed a cloudless sunny day, the princess sat, wet and freezing. While everyone else in the Union of Hyland lived blissfully unaware of the turmoil in their nation, Zelda remained drenched by the ghosts of Hyrule's past. There was nothing she could do to escape. Things had always been this way and nothing would ever change. The Goddesses had made it so.

"Lovely day," said a deep voice beside Zelda. She turned sharply and was met with the piercing eyes of Senator Boreski. He had apparently swapped seats with Mayor Horell. She wondered how long he had been sitting there without her noticing. "Not a cloud in the sky," he persisted with a toothy grin that made Zelda's skin crawl. She stared at him questioningly, water dripping from her body.

It felt wrong, but she managed a smile.

OOO

When Link finally came to, he was lying face down in a pool of his own blood. A groan escaped him as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Night had already fallen.

"Where the hell am I?" Link thought lazily. His skin was tingling. Something warm and wiry was rubbing the side of his ear. He squinted and tried to make out his surroundings. Moonlight reflected off of Cinder's eyes as she lovingly nuzzled his bloody head. "Oh, hey girl," he murmured in relief. "Where are we?" Cinder whinnied and pushed her ears back. Link immediately began stroking her nose to calm her. When Cinder behaved this way it usually meant she was in distress.

Link stood up and scoped out the area. It seemed unfamiliar, but after observing the mountain lines and city lights, he realized that he was in a field far away from the main city. He had never been in this area before but passed nearby it sometimes on his way to Makellin's. Once he oriented himself, he hopped onto Cinder's back and brought her to a gallop, heading south.

The wind rushed by his face like his memories of the day. What had happened? The last thing he remembered from earlier was talking to Sheema. Had he even finished the competition? His stomach clenched at the thought. His mind raced. There was no explanation for him blacking out for at least three hours and then ending up in a barren field in the dead of night. He had to get home. He had to talk to Alden, or Makellin, or someone! Anyone who could tell him what happened.

As Link rode towards the lights of Lake Hylia, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment, a sense of adventure. Regardless of what happened in his last rotation, he proved himself to be a real knight. Even though he broke his arm, even though he made a fool of himself on several occasions, and even though he was returning home bruised and battered with nothing to show for it, he was the happiest he had ever been in his life. For a moment, he closed his eyes and felt the wind sting his open wounds.

This was living.

OOO

When Link finally made it back to the Research Center after returning Cinder to Selta's barn, it was already a quarter to midnight and most of the scientists were already asleep in their rooms. Although he knew it would never happen, in his heart, he had hoped to be greeted by a crowd of congratulatory faces. The staff members at the Center were the closest things Link had to a family. He sighed upon realizing, yet again, that he was nothing more to them but "that one scientist's nephew".

After hobbling the remaining distance from the elevator, Link was finally able to lean against the wall outside of his flat. He opened the door to the observatory and, to his surprise, found Penda watching the television from the kitchen table. It had been weeks since he had last seen her home so early. Ever since that fateful, late-night conversation the two had shared, Penda had clearly been avoiding Link. At night, she would come home past midnight; sleep for a few hours, and then leave around three the next morning. Their relationship had never been so tense. Even when Penda had worked three jobs, she always managed to set aside a little time everyday for her nephew.

Recently, Link had been so consumed with training for the tournament, he had nearly forgotten how guilty he felt for the way he had treated his aunt. She was the most important person in his life. She was his mother, his father, his everything. He was ashamed for considering her anything less, and felt even worse because he still had not apologized to her.

Link stood frozen in the doorway. He did not know what to say. He was well aware that Penda knew where he had been all day. She had made it very clear that she did not want him to compete in the tournament, but he went against her wishes anyway. The pure adrenaline he had felt earlier, the feelings of glory and triumph slowly drained from his body. She would not be happy with his success. There was no way in the world for him to possibly convey his emotions to her. There was no way he could show her how supremely satisfying it was for him to fight and be victorious. Suddenly he realized that achievements were far less gratifying when there was no one to enjoy them with.

"Wow, a real crowd-pleaser," Penda commented as she returned her focus back to the television. Link furrowed his brow and peaked around Penda's head to get a better view of the program she was watching. It was the nightly news. Images of the Tournament of Knights were flashing with the bold headline, "Hyland's Heroes." Link gawked at the screen. He scurried closer, forgetting to close the door, and leaned over the table. His lips parted in disbelief. There was no way.

"That's…me," Link muttered. The program cut to various clips of him fighting and running through the agility course. Penda nodded her head with deliberation. Link impatiently tapped his foot against the floor, pleading with the TV gods to play a clip of the memories missing in his head.

"Listen to what they say next. This report has been on loop all night. They must have played it a dozen times," Penda said. Her face was expressionless. As Penda predicted, the smooth, stilted voice of the anchorman cut into the video montage.

_"There were many surprises at the tournament, today. A definite crowd favorite was rookie, Number 6374. Link Arian is only fifteen years old and allegedly has minimal to no experience in the ways of the sword. That didn't stop this little novice from packing a punch in the preliminaries._"

Link cocked his head in bewilderment when they ran a clip of him riding Cinder backwards in the horseback riding rotation. Despite his unconventional mount, he still appeared to be in first. He and Sheema were galloping neck and neck. It looked like they were fighting off invisible enemies. Sheema was waving her sword in the air and Link was holding an imaginary bow and arrow. He kept changing positions, as if to get a better view of his target.

"What am I _doing_?" Link muttered in complete astonishment. "Good Goddesses, I look insane!" he thought.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed it. They mistook the duo's delusional behavior to be a performance to excite the crowd. Link and Sheema tied in first, but when they past the finish line, neither of them stopped. Link watched in horror as competitors and security personnel lunged out of the way as he and Sheema dodged tents and tables, and eventually leapt across the stadium gate, leaving the field.

"I must have ridden for hours to get to that field…" Link postulated, trying to fill in the gaps of memory.

"_Even after suffering from what paramedics described as a "severely broken arm", Arian continued to compete and even knocked out some of the Union's finest competitors. There is already speculation that he is heading to the main Tournament. Professional knight or not, one thing is clear: this boy knows how to make a dramatic exit. Another shoo in for the Tournament is Nacktrice Onox. As the son of former Union general " The_ announcer's voice faded into the back of Link's mind.

"You gave everyone quite a show, today," Penda said as she turned off the television. She did not sound amused. Link couldn't think of anything to say. He knew she was angry with him. He opened his mouth but before an explanation could even come out, Penda interrupted.

"You look like a real hero. Bloody and broken," Penda said, her voice quivering. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. "I hope you're happy," she spat out sarcastically.

It was more than Link could bear. He couldn't handle seeing Penda so upset because of something he had done. His heart had been pumping with undying pride just hours before, but in a heartbeat, it had shattered into pieces. He wanted nothing more than to explain to her how he felt.

"Aunt Penda," he began hoarsely. "I'm- I'm sorry." He lowered his head in shame after hearing his own words. Was that all he could say? Penda just stared blankly at him as if she hadn't even noticed he'd said anything. Link gulped and tried to continue. "I really like it, Aunt Penda. It makes me- I don't know- really content. And I know it looks bad, but I'm really not all that hurt. The nurse said-"

"I don't give a damn what the nurse said, Link!" Penda shouted. Link shrunk back. Penda had never yelled at him with such ferocity before. Her tiny figure seemed to tower over him at that moment. She threw the remote control onto the couch and stormed to her room. Before opening the door, she turned back around. The tears were flowing freely down her pale cheeks.

"Link," Penda said, in a hushed voice. "There are things you don't know about us. About our family." She inhaled deeply, as if preparing for a winded explanation, but shook her head and just sighed heavily. "You're going to get yourself killed," she stated simply. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope. "This is for you Link. I've been meaning to give it to you for years. I've been meaning to _tell _you for years." She wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, unable to look at her beloved nephew. She left the weathered note on the kitchen counter and turned her back to Link. "I'm sorry." With that, she disappeared into the darkness of her room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Link stood in silence, trying to collect his thoughts. Cautiously, he walked over to the counter and picked up the envelope. He opened it with great care and found two folded pieces of paper. One looked newer and read "From Aunt Penda" on the front. The other was blank and stained brown. He opened the letter from Penda first, but could not bring himself to read it. For some reason, he was frightened. His hands shook as his eyes found the first word.

_My Link,_

_I really do not know how to tell you. I've tried so many times, so many ways. Before I do, let me first say that I love you with every part of my being. Nothing can change that. Nothing can change your place in my heart. But Link, the truth is that I am not your aunt. You were brought to me. You were like a gift, Link. I grew up an orphan. At the time, I was sixteen and living on my own in the snowy mountains of northern Hyland. I went there to escape everything. You can only get there by foot. There are no roads, even to this day. I had a horrible childhood. I never wanted anyone to find me ever again. I would have stayed there too, if it hadn't been for you. I lived in an abandoned cabin for three years, there was small community of yeti people nearby but I was mostly on my own. But one night, there was a knock on my front door. I heard a baby crying. I was frightened. I quickly opened the door and found a young woman. She was lying in the snow and bleeding. She must have died only moments before I discovered her. I still feel terribly about her death. In her arms was a baby. It was you, Link. Around your neck was a necklace with a note attached. I'm sorry, Link. My hand is trembling as I write you this. I wish I could offer you more information, a better explanation of who you are. _

_I buried the woman, who I believe was your mother, under the tallest tree in the forest. I hope she rests peacefully and knows you are all right. She was beautiful. Inside this envelope is the note she left for you and I. It is hard to read and very brief. Something terrible must have happened, Link. I still lie awake at night and wonder if you are safe. I don't know how she found me, but it was the greatest blessing of my life. In her note it says your parent's names were Faelic and Devra Arian. With the same surname as my own I thought they might have been distant relatives, but there are no records of their existence. I've been searching for years. _

_Please read her letter, Link. It is all I can give you._

_Love always,_

_Aunt Penda_

Link didn't even pause to ponder his new insights. Tears in his eyes, he frantically unfolded his mother's note. He could sense the fear in letter before he even began to read.

_My name is Devra Arian. I am the mother. His father is Faelic Arian. He was killed, I'm dying. Our family is being hunted. It's too late for me. Please protect my son. He is a marked child, keep him away from dangers. He needs a new name. Something that will separate him from me. Name him something strong, something to protect him from himself._

_My blessings to you and my son. I pray to the Goddesses that there is a heaven so that I may watch him grow._

_I will protect you,_

_Devra_

Underneath her note, in Penda's handwriting, was one word.

"Link."


	11. Bound

Chapter 11

_Bound_

Link did not sleep that night. His heart was plagued by ghosts of a past he never even knew. The same questions ran through his mind over and over like a nightmare on replay.

"Who am I?"

"Who were my parents?"

"Why were they murdered?"

Cold sweat glistened on his forehead and seeped into his unchanged clothing. Dawn was breaking over the lake and drops of sunlight were beginning to dance across the glass windows of Link's room. He had not even removed his boots or cleaned his wounds. Thoughts of the tournament were nothing but a distant memory to him now; lost amidst worries of far greater magnitude. Nothing mattered anymore. He had always felt alone in his life and now it was confirmed. Despite his age, his maturity, despite every piece of evidence that told him his parents would never come back; Link had always maintained a glimmer of hope. In the deepest crevices of his heart, he knew his parents would come back to him. Claim him as their son. Love him. Raise him. Save him. At times, his irrational hope was all that kept him going. He had no family. Even Penda's blood was foreign to him now.

Link's ears prickled. At last, gruesome images of his mother's lifeless body were able to escape his mind's eye. The dull humming of his alarm clock shook him from his trance. Rescued him from his night terrors. Without a glance, Link halfheartedly extended his arm and swung it blindly through the air. The clock fell to the floor where it shattered and lay silent. He continued to stare blankly at the ceiling.

Silence consumed Link once again. Dark thoughts crept back into his mind and took hold like a ravenous parasite; eating away the little happiness that remained in his body. He pondered whether his perpetual misfortune, was in fact, willed upon him by the gods. Even his grieving was overshadowed by a far more disturbing and ominous reality. His mother's words seemed to echo against the walls of his room, "Our family is being hunted." Someone wanted him dead.

Morning doves cooed in the distance as sleep finally overwhelmed him.

O O O O O

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Link slowly opened his swollen eyes. The afternoon sun glared cruelly back at him through the glass roof.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

A large shadow crawled across the glass, blocking out the light. Startled, Link sat bolt upright. His body surged with retaliatory pain, sending shock waves through every limb in his body. He fell back to his pillow.

"Link! It's me," A muffled voice called through the glass, "Alden! Let me in!" Link rolled his eyes, grunted and hoisted himself to his feet. He climbed on top of his bed and obligingly unlatched the portal to the roof. The redheaded spy fell through the hole, bounced off the bed, and landed in a heap of dirty clothes. Link calmly knelt beside his friend and offered his good hand. As Alden reached for it, Link punched him with the little strength he could muster.

"What the hell were you doing on my roof?" Link shouted. "Actually, how the hell did you _get_ on my roof? You scared the-" Before Link could finish reprimanding his inconsiderate companion, Alden jumped to his feet and violently shook Link by the shoulders.

"LINK!" Alden cried, "Stop yelling at me! I have been trying to get to you for over three hours! Your front door was locked, no one picked up the phone; I had no choice but to _scale _this entire building with my bare hands! Well…okay, I might have taken the elevator to the top floor- but that is not important! Link! Haven't you been watching the television? You're in! You made it into the Tournament! So did Makellin! You two are the youngest competitors out of anyone. No one else made it, not even Jelk. The competitors are front-page news. It's all anyone can talk about! The media is outside your house right now! Everyone is! Flanders, the scientists, Selta, everyone we know! Even the prick you work with, Calynne!" Alden stopped abruptly and inhaled deeply. "Whew, forgot to breathe. Well don't you have anything to say?"

Link stood flabbergasted. "I…I…" words could not escape his mouth.

"Don't just stand there! You have to meet Princess Zelda and the Tournament administrators at City Hall in," Alden checked his watch, "Less than an hour! Oh crap, we're never going to get you there in time. Look at you! You look like shit! You can't see the princess like that. Come on!" Without another word, Alden dragged Link into the bathroom, pushed him into the tub with his clothes on, and turned on the water. "Scrub!" He ordered. Link, who had not said a single word throughout the ordeal, meekly obeyed. He felt unwilling to abandon the thoughts of his parents. However, as he watched Alden scramble around the house in an effort to help him get ready, Link remembered why he never gave in to self-pity. His life had not been easy, but there was still a great deal for him to be thankful for.

"You really have nothing to wear," Alden complained after a fruitless search for decent clothes. He thought for a moment and looked into the mirror. "Here," he said as he removed his shirt and presented it to Link, "It's nothing much, but it's the nicest thing I have." Link stopped cleaning the caked dirt from his cuts and looked up at his friend. "You can wear it as long as you promise me one thing," Alden continued.

"What is that?" Link asked. Alden's face became uncharacteristically serious. He turned his eyes downward and scratched his head like he was embarrassed.

"Promise me you will fight hard, Ink. You've been through a lot. We both have. You deserve this more than anyone. This is your time, Link. I can feel it. Just…Please don't get hurt. You're like a brother to me. I don't know what I would do without you." Within a second of completing his thought, Alden turned away and pretended to search for something in his pockets. It was common for him to evade heart-touching situations.

"I'll be careful," Link said with a nod.

They were both silent.

"Oh, and also," Alden continued, "You need to get me a date with the princess."

"You're an asshole," Link quipped as he threw a wet, dirty sock at Alden's face. Alden returned his gibe with a rude gesture and sarcastic expression. Link couldn't help but smile. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem," Alden responded simply. "Now let's get the hell out of here. Her Majesty is never going to have me if I don't get her knight to City Hall on time.

Link nodded and quickly dunked his head under the sudsy water before climbing out of the tub. A small grin graced his face.

O O O O O

The duo was already five minutes late before the bus even pulled into the junction in front of City Hall. It had taken a good half an hour to wade through the tide of "Link Arian fans" that had gathered outside the Research Center. Flanders the fisherman gave Link a hearty pat on the back before pretending to have something in his eye. Selta the farm girl assaulted Link with the tightest bear hug he had ever felt, and the scientists of the Research Center erected a huge sign that read, "We are proud of you, Link!" He was taken aback by the kindness and support he received from the people around him. He had never known that he meant so much to them. The only person that seemed absent was his own Aunt. Link was not surprised.

The moment the bus opened its doors, Link and Alden bolted. There was already an enormous crowd consisting of the press and eager spectators lining the entrance to City Hall. Link discreetly pulled his hat down over his head and tried his best to maneuver his way through the mass of humanity. After what felt like an eternity, the two friends finally made it to the front doors where dozens of security guard checked for identification.

"I guess this is where I have to leave you," Link shouted over the raucous horde. Link left the Research Center wearing Alden's black long sleeve shirt, his cleanest green hat, torn and wrinkled pants, scuffed up boots, and mismatched sox.

"Wait!" Alden cried frantically before Link could approach the security line. "You have to wear this." Alden pulled out a bottle of what appeared to be cologne and began spraying a small cloud around Link's face.

"God! Alden, stop!" Link coughed while waving his good hand to clear the mist. "What is that stuff? It burns!"

"It's some fancy cologne my dad uses. He puts it on before he goes out to chop wood and hunt. You know, manly stuff. It's musky. Chicks like musky."

"Give me that!" Link grabbed the bottle and read the back. "Alden, you idiot! This isn't musk! It's bug repellent!"

"Oh shit… Well, um, you know what they say about bug repellent… It repels…assholes….and….intimidates people," Alden laughed sheepishly. His face was as red as his hair.

"Assholes huh? Well, it doesn't seem to be doing its job because _you're_ still standing next to me. Oh forget it, I've got to go." With that, Link turned his back on Alden, pushed his way to the head security guard and flashed his identification. The brutish guard peered at Link through his sunglasses and then down at a clipboard.

"Yep, here it is. Arian, Link. Let him in," the guard said. Before Link could step through the door, there was a roar from the mob of reporters behind him.

" It's Link Arian!"

"He's so dreamy!"

"Link! Link! Over here!"

"Mr. Arian, how does it feel to be the youngest competitor in the Tournament?"

"Link, can we have a picture?"

"How is your broken arm?"

Link politely turned around and flashed a crooked smile before darting into the sanctuary of City Hall. An escort dressed entirely in black lead him to the amphitheater he had visited months before for his school's field trip. It was where he first heard of the Tournament. Never, in his wildest dreams, did he think he would make it back.

"They are waiting for you," the escort murmured before quietly opening the door. As Link stepped inside, the entire theater fell silent. Every head seemed to turn in his direction. His body went rigid with fear and embarrassment. He was the only one not wearing formal attire. He gulped.

"Great," Link thought, "I'm late, my arm is in a sling, I look like hell, and I smell like insecticide. This is perfect."

"You must be Mr. Arian," a booming voice stated over the microphone. "Please take a seat." Link obliged with great haste, grabbing the closest seat available. He could not help but notice that the competitors around him began sniffing the air with curiosity upon his arrival. Once he was situated, Link gazed around the amphitheater in search of Makellin. Judging by the size and appearance of the other competitors, it was indeed true that he was the youngest. Atop the stage sat hundreds of governmental officials from across the Union. The judges for the Tournament sat downstage in a panel. They were all dressed in traditional Hyland garb, complete with the old Hyland Crest: the Triforce. It was rare to see the symbol outside of religious institutions like the Church of the Godesses. After Hyland's cultural revolution, the Union became a secular state and the Trifoce was seen as a symbol of religious dogmatism. It was seldom used, save for traditional holidays and events.

"Now that we are all here, let's get down to business," exclaimed the speaker. "First of all, Congratulation to all of you. With your wit, strength, and cunning, you have out competed thousands of our nations greatest knights. You are the cream of the crop. The top one hundred," there was a murmur of excitement throughout the audience. "You are all incredible athletes, but there can only be one Hyland Knight. Tomorrow will be the first day of the competition: Archery. Opening ceremonies will begin at noon in Parkins Stadium. All competitors will be expected two hours early for press conferences and a briefing…"

The announcers voice faded into the background. Link was focused on another prize. His eyes could not help but rest on the face of Princess Zelda. He was not infatuated with her the way other boys his age were. Undoubtedly she was beautiful, but he found her stunning for a completely different reason. Her eyes. Link saw something in her eyes that was truly astonishing. Despite her demure appearance, she commanded respect. To her left sat Saria. Link had not forgotten his bizarre meeting with the Sage. That is, if she really was a Sage. So many strange things had been happening, it was too much for him to process. He could not even begin to wrap his head around it. Strange dreams, premonitions, black outs, hallucinations, fairies, competing in the most prestigious tournament in his country with no experience, and discovering his Aunt Penda was not his Aunt at all. Not to mention someone was probably out to kill him. Link sank into his chair and massaged his temples.

Several speakers gave verbose speeches, rehashing the same points again and again. Link sat patiently in his seat, waiting to be dismissed. It was almost as boring as Mr. Alsofkar's history class. After the minute hand on the giant clock hanging above the stage approached the end of its third journey around, Princess Zelda finally approached the podium for closing statements. The entire audience seemed to perk up. From what Link could tell, there were only a handful of women dispersed throughout the sea of faces. On the opposite end of the room, towards the back, he spotted Sheema resting her head on her hand. She looked sleepier than she had the day before. He was delighted to see she made the cut, despite fainting in the combat rotation.

"I know you have heard it many times by now," Zelda prefaced, "But congratulations, once again. As a former student of the Hyland Combat School, I know that it was no easy feat to make it this far. Before we adjourn for today, I would like to remind you that your equipment, including your uniform, is provided for you from this point on. We used your measurements from your applications and everything has been custom made to fit you. They will be distributed in the morning before each event begins. Once again, thank you for lending your gifts to this grand occasion. It is men and women like you that keep the traditions of Hyland alive and well. I look forward to seeing you all compete tomorrow." Zelda stepped down from the podium and exited stage right, signaling the end of the engagement. The audience began filing out of the auditorium. A swarm of cameramen and reporters swooped around the competitors before they were even able to reach the hallway. Not wanting any part of the spotlight, Link made a beeline for the additional exits towards the back of the amphitheater. He quickly closed the door behind him and took a seat on the stairs leading up to the balcony. Rather than attempt to escape through the throngs of impassioned media hounds, he decided it would be best to wait it out until things had calmed down outside.

Twenty minutes passed, but Link could still hear jabbering and clicking cameras on the other side of the door. He leaned his head back against the wall behind him and continued to study the elaborate designs along the walls. A door slammed from down the hall. Link leapt to his feet and prepared to make a run for it, but before he could reach for the door handle, a hand touched him lightly on the shoulder. He spun around, fearing to meet the wrath of a disgruntled security guard, or even worse, the overzealous grin of a reporter. His mouth dropped in sheer bewilderment.

Could it really be her?

"You are Link Arian, yes?" her voice was like an angel. His heart melted but his pulse was still pounding. He could barely hear the sound of his own voice.

"Princess Zelda…I- I'm sorry, I didn't know- I was just waiting for- I mean, I thought this was-" words were falling out of his mouth like vomit. He couldn't control the reflexes of his petrified body.

"It's okay," she said with a laugh, "I was looking for you." Link raised his eyebrows.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, No," she was laughing wholeheartedly now. "Your arm. I don't want you to compete like that. You're a favorite of my assistant. She would hate to have you lose tomorrow just because you have a handicap. Follow me. I'll fix it up for you." Zelda started down the hallway and motioned for Link to follow. She was wearing the traditional gown and headdress of the Royal Family. She looked as if she walked right out of a fairytale, Link thought. She was even more beautiful in person. Part of him felt like he was being lead into a trap. How could something so impossible be happening?

"I guess stranger things have happened," Link muttered under his breath. After walking up several flights of stairs and through countless snaking hallways, they came to a stop in front of an impressive jewel encrusted door.

"This is my room," Zelda stated nonchalantly. Link's face flushed. He was going into her bedroom… That statement alone would make ninety nine percent of male populations hate him and idolize him at the same time.

"I don't mean to be nosy, but isn't this violating some kind of security code," Link questioned.

"It's okay," she responded whilst opening the door for him, "My assistant has my bodyguards preoccupied right now. They don't know."

"That's encouraging," Link thought. He was surprised by her boldness. It was atypical of a princess and he liked it.

"Lay on my bed," she instructed before removing her elbow length white gloves. Link choked at the preposition but did as she asked. Her bed was softer than anything he had ever felt before. It made his mattress seem like a plank of wood in comparison. Zelda's entire room, for that matter, was unbelievably plush. It was complete with velvet chairs, marble tables, oil paintings, and glass chandeliers.

Zelda rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. Her fingers ignited sensations in the pit of Link's stomach. It was something he had never felt before and it made him intolerably antsy. He could hardly bear it.

"Um, your room is really nice," Link commented, hoping to distract his mind from his body's indiscretions.

"Oh, thank you," she responded. "It's so nice, I forget it is mine sometimes. It doesn't feel like mine anyway…" Zelda trailed off as she pressed her hands against Link's arm. He stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye and frowned. Something about her seemed unhappy and contrived. This opulence was not who she was. He wondered whether she would feel more comfortable in his room, on his bed…Link quickly shook the thought from his head.

"How do you know how to set bones?" Link asked. It had never occurred to him that the Princess of Hyland was a trained medical professional. She was pressing awfully hard on his arm. It should have hurt, but for some reason it did not.

"I learned it from my assistant. Actually, I'm not setting the bone. This is an old trick they used back in the day. I-uh…" Zelda bit her lip for a moment. "Maybe you should close your eyes. It won't hurt as much that way. Although not completely satisfied with her vague response, Link obeyed. Zelda placed her slender hands on his arm once again and an intense heat began emanating from her body. Link stifled a gasp.

It all happened so fast.

Suddenly, he could no longer feel her fingers. He could no longer feel the bed beneath him. He was falling into a dark abyss. His life began to flash before his eyes, but it was in reverse. Random sounds and images of his childhood fired through his mind. He fell faster and faster through fire and ice, dark and light.

He was spinning.

Everything became a blur. The noises were so loud and overpowering they ate into his body, making him nothing but dust. He was air. He was nothing. As abruptly as it began, it stopped.

Everything was still.

He was a child again, lying in the woods underneath the shadow of a great tree. And he watched. He watched as his life unfolded. He watched as the years passed.

And there she was…

She had always been there. He had always wanted her, and he could never have her. She was the fruit he could never taste. The air he could never breathe. And he died. Again and again, he died. Together, they were trapped in a never-ending circle. A game they could never win.

And he watched.

He relived every moment of a life that had once been his. He loved. He hated. He cried. He fought.

Most of all, he fought.

That was all he could be. That was all he had ever been. In a cruel design by the goddesses, he was ordered to fight forever. He fought for life. Not his life, but the lives of others because his own life was meaningless in the eyes of the heavens.

He was a pawn.

In a time far beyond his mind's reach, he was created. And so was she. Their existence was dependent on one another. They were lovers bound by something greater than their own souls, but torn apart by the same blessing that brought them together. He lived for her. He died for her.

And such was his fate.

He lived. He fought. He died. He loved harder and more passionately than anyone, but he was unloved in return. Such is the fate of one chosen by the gods. For an eternity he was trapped. For an eternity he had loved her. He would love her for an eternity more. His love was undying.

And that is why the gods chose him.

His heart beat and it was over.

Link opened his eyes. He was exhausted. In a minutia of a second he had lived a millennia of lives.

It was clear to him now, who he was.

He remembered.

Link turned his gaze toward Zelda who stood near her bed in shock. She was utterly still with her hands pressed to her mouth. He could see it in her eyes. She knew what had happened.

Their eyes remained locked amidst the silence. A single tear glistened on Zelda's cheek. She had not meant for this to happen.

The Hero could not take his eyes off his princess. Light streamed through the stained glass behind Zelda, igniting her golden locks with embers of the divine. She was surrounded by a luminous aura that seemed to engulf the entire room. He could not escape it. He belonged to her.

"Oh my god," Link whispered as he stood up and knelt before the feet of his master. Zelda shook her head. Her eyes betrayed a pain that ran so deep she could not bear to confront it. This was not how it was supposed to happen. She had thought she was strong enough.

She was wrong.

Link looked up into her ancient eyes and reached for her hand. He brought her wrist tenderly to his lips and gave her a kiss that had waited thousands of years. He whispered the words his soul had felt, but never in eons, had the privilege to divulge. It was a power so overwhelming, even the goddesses could no longer suppress it.

"I love you, Zelda."


	12. Ruins

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support, especially those of you who have been patient and stayed with me through my long hiatus. I hope you enjoy the rest!

Chapter 12

_Ruins_

Night had fallen, but Zelda stood frozen in her chamber. Her expression was impassive and unchanging. Her eyes wept, yet the tears had run dry hours before. Her heart sank heavily into the pit of her stomach, weighed down by guilt and sorrow. Moon shadows traveled across the floor, as the night grew old. They seemed to linger before her, encircling the holy ground where her Hero had knelt. She had not moved from the spot where he professed his love to her. It was the same spot where she had refused him.

"I had to," Zelda announced defiantly to the oppressive darkness surrounding her. "There was no other way." A bitter breeze swept through the open window behind her and blew through her layered gown. The princess twirled around to face the scorning wind. The stained glass image of the Three Goddesses carrying the Hyland Crest loomed over her. They cast a dreary blue light that seemed almost menacing in the nocturnal hour. Their faces were warped; hair twisted and tangled like a medusan demon.

"You are the real evil," Zelda pronounced with composed ferocity.

The Goddesses said nothing.

The wind lay still.

The city did not stir.

Even the stars did not dare twinkle.

The world was aghast at the Princess of Destiny's heresy.

"You created all of this," the princess continued darkly. Life. Death. Suffering. The Evil King is nothing but your puppet. He is not the murderer. _You _are. We're all puppets to you. Why are we here? Are we nothing but entertainment to you? I've done your bidding for decades, centuries, eons. And _why_? I have to. _You_ threaten the lives of countless people whom _you_ place me in charge of. You know I cannot abandon them. You know it is not in me to let them die. I've lived one endless, miserable life, and you will not allow me the one happiness I have ever desired. I know this cursed cycle will never end. I have accepted this reality. I will not give up because other souls' lives are riding on my choice," she paused and closed her eyes. "And that is why you chose me. You chose me because you know that in my mind there is no choice."

Zelda choked. Her venomous words spread like poison throughout her body. Even she could not discern where this rage stemmed from. Was it the suppressed anger of Princess Zelda, the selfless guardian of humanity? Or was it nothing but a resentful tirade from Zelda Ordello, the slovenly orphan with a foul mouth? Her mind was nothing but a swirl of muddied memories. A puddle filled with uncountable personalities and disjointed pasts that all seemed to blend together, forming one vestige of a woman. The famed Zelda of legend was nothing but a vacant shell. Her body had never been a home for her own spirit. She was a vessel that contained far greater things than the hopes and desires of an ineffectual girl. Zelda understood this. As long as the Triforce resided in her, Zelda Harkinian, Zelda Hyrule, Zelda Ordello, and the likes of them would always come last.

Zelda Ordello held her right hand before her eyes and peered indifferently at the pulsing Triforce of Wisdom. Whatever was left of her former self was worthless to her now…

"I will be your puppet," Zelda sniffed weakly, "Forever if I have to, but for heaven's sake, let the boy go. The Sage of Wisdom must be an impenetrable fortress. A rock. I can live without the love of another human. I have endured this long. The Hero has gone above and beyond his duties. A hero deserves better." The Triforce was pounding within her body now; a searing pain ran across the surface of her hand. The smallest sliver of her being that remained human, unclaimed by heaven, erupted inside her. Her heart ached with all the anguish of an open wound. Zelda's heart was broken and she was slowly bleeding to death. The thought of her knight, her hero, her Link suffering the same dismal fate as her made her sick. "Link deserves better." In an instant, Zelda's voice was lost amidst her sobs. Her body shriveled to the floor.

"I…love him," Zelda cried into the palms of her hands. It sounded so plain, so commonplace. To any other person, the word "love" could be tossed about with flippant disregard. It could be extended to anyone or anything that one felt even the slightest fondness for. Blessed are those who love uninhibited.

Zelda was cursed.

She loved a man, but he was the wrong man. Never in all her lives had she allowed herself to betray that one simple truth to the universe. She knew the terrible ramifications her earthly temptations could have on the world. Her soul was marked. She had been warned before.

It was during Zelda's first human incarnation that the Goddesses bestowed upon her the origins of life. In the beginning, before the first grain of sand fell through the hourglass of time, before the earth, before the Goddesses, there was nothing but light and dark. Never did the two come together. By a force greater than that of any divine entity, the two sides willed themselves together, creating a bridge between light and dark. From the synergy of these three elements sprang the fundamental pillars of existence. The dual elements: good and evil, and the bridge that brought them together: love. These three forces began to fight for dominance, which created a cyclical pattern of existence. The forces of good gave birth to the heavens and the divine, the forces of evil took dominion over the demon realm. Love remained the passageway between the diametrically opposed powers. The Three Goddesses became the divine equivalent of these forces.

At the dawn of life, the Goddesses instilled every creature with the ability to be both good and evil. However, they marked three souls in particular to carry out their will on earth. These three beings would forever be entangled in a battle for power and dominance. Their actions directly reflected the dynamics of the universe. Earth was merely another battleground in the greater struggle for power.

This was the true meaning of the Triforce.

Zelda was marked. Link was marked. The Evil King himself was marked. They were all tools belonging to powers that were far beyond their comprehension. Her soul was not her own. She was the physical embodiment of light and purity. A deity. Link was the bridge, a literal "link" between the two powers. It was no coincidence that his name characterized his entire life's purpose. He was the pawn that determined whether good or evil would reign. The three entities were separate, working independently to fuel the machine. Fighting to maintain order and balance. Any tampering, any deviation from the normal functions of the three forces could throw the entire world, the entire universe, off course. Zelda had been assured many times before that chaos and suffering would ensue.

In the distance a clock tower struck midnight, but it did not matter to Zelda. To her, time was still. One minute. One hour. One year. One lifetime. It was all the same. All she could see were his tormented eyes. The thought that she had caused him more pain than any villain ever could, killed her.

That night, the Princess of Hyrule slept crumpled and defeated on the floor. She dreamt of another time, another place, and another life. She dreamt of a world where her smile was genuine. And he smiled back.

O O O O O

If not for the mountain range's jagged interference, the starry sky and Lake Hylia's glistening waters would have merged into one massive cosmic pool, eating up everything around it. Even the hotels and businesses littered across the horizon were lit up from the inside out. Incandescent stars gleamed through glass windows, and the shadowy structures that held them disappeared and became the night. Crickets and larks were a melancholy orchestra, their melody the sole reminder of earthly attachments. This galaxy hosted a heavenly body, as well. A shock of golden hair accompanying a stellar bronze complexion provided a focal point for this unnamed universe, an axis around which the world seemed to rotate. He stood aboard a small sailboat at the center of the lake, contemplating the water's glassy surface. He gazed past his own reflection, through the endless water's depths, and down at the unknowable lakebed floor. Link needed to know what could not be seen. He needed to know if the memories in his head were real. He needed confirmation that no amount of words or reassurance could ever give him. What he could not trust to his own unhinged mind, he could trust to the existence of solid, physical proof. He held a file in his hand with the header "Top Secret." The document read:

**_Lake Hylia Underwater Temple Excavation_**

**_Project Leader: Penda Arian_**

**_Week Four Final Notes_**_: Remnants of external chamber found on Lake Floor. Artifacts and rock samples have been collected and catalogued in Research Center lab. Designs and hieroglyphics found on surrounding rock formations difficult to decipher Linguistics department believe they hold religious significance to the architects of the temple. May be early roots to the Church of the Goddesses. Excavation team cannot find entrance to interior of temple. Project leaders remain confident that the main body of the temple lies underneath the lakebed._

_The bottom of the page left a space for comments from the Research Center's administration. In bold red letters it stated:_

**_Project Suspended_**

**_Insufficient evidence suggesting existence of temple_**

Link had found the file lying open on the kitchen counter in the observatory. He did not know if Penda had left it there intentionally for him to see or if the news had made her so distraught she simply forgot to put it away. She had waited her whole career to lead a project. The lakebed excavation was her life. She spent years gathering research and resources for it before she was even appointed its head scientist.

If these invading memories were truly his own, and not some figment of his imagination, the temple would be real. And he would remember a way in. So, in an act of bravery, displayed both for his aunt and his own sanity, Link tucked the file into the waterproof lining of his wetsuit, secured his mask, turned on his oxygen tank, buckled his weighted belt, and with a splash, disappeared into the abyss. Link Arian, an experienced seaman and diver, knew that Lake Hylia's deepest point, without special equipment, was inhospitable for elfin. Technically, he would be dead before he could even make it half way. He was on a suicide mission, but he was too crazed, too driven by unbridled passion to care about his fate. If the blood of a hero ran through his veins, the goddesses would protect him. If it did not, his lungs would be crushed under the immense pressure of the lake. He did not care either way. Link never had much faith in Heaven, anyway.

His weighted belt propelled him through the water. As he sank deeper it became darker and colder. All light had vanished from the surface. He was floating in space. There was no up and no down. There was nothing. It was as if his physical body melted away and the reaches of his mind became limitless in the black void. It was peaceful, but at the same time sent shivers up his spine. He had fished Hylia's waters for years and knew every species of animal that dwelt beneath her. Even so, without his vision, his mind played tricks on him. He sensed a presence. He felt like he was being watched.

Thirty seconds passed and Link knew he was approaching the halfway mark. The weight of the water began to push down on him. He could almost picture his organs imploding inside him as the pain became too much to bear. It was just a matter of time before the oxygen in his tank would turn poisonous from the pressure. Link knew he could still turn back. He could let go of his weights and slowly ascend to the surface, but he was determined. Somewhere in the last month, fear became a foreign emotion to him. His mind no longer dictated his actions. He was now a creature of pure instinct. Link did not turn back.

Forty seconds passed. At this point, Link turned off his oxygen tank. Fifty seconds passed and he was already choking for air. He was only vaguely aware of the blood that was spilling from his nose and mouth and flooding the goggles of his mask. Sixty seconds dragged by and death seemed imminent. He could not panic because all his senses and rationale had left him by now. White light dazzled his eyes and then he was gone. Link's lifeless body continued to plunge deeper to its watery grave.

Seventy seconds passed and Link's head made brutal contact with an unforgiving rocky ground. By the laws of physics and all earthly sciences, he should have been dead. But even in death, Link could not bring himself to follow the rules. His eyes flickered open. His brain, starved of oxygen, allowed his body to take control. He clumsily felt around for his underwater flashlight and turned it on. What made the mortal Link unconscious aroused the sleeping Hero. The dim glow of the flashlight illuminated the ruins of what once was a small pantheon. The pillars were crumbled and decaying, the archways covered in layers of silt. Link had mapped the coordinates of the excavation site correctly. He was standing directly over the presumed water temple. There was a massive boulder to the side of the ruins that appeared to be part of the underwater rock formations. The Hero knew better. The pantheon was built as a distraction. It was not the entrance. He had to move the boulder, but he could not do it with his bare hands. He cheated death once, but he knew sheer will could not keep him alive forever. He had to act fast.

It was like walking through a dream. Nothing seemed real. He was no longer in his body; he was a spectator watching the tragedy of his death unfold. His own blood began to seep through his mask, creating a crimson veil around his head. The flashlight cast a gray light on the surroundings. He was a ghost.

Link swam to the boulder. Bombs. He needed bombs. In a flurry of blood and bubbles, Link struggled to remove his oxygen tank. He held it between his legs with the barrel pointing toward the base of the giant rock. His fumbling hands grasped the valve and pushed it as far away from his body as possible. He pulled out his fisherman's knife, a multi purpose tool he was given by his boss, Flanders. If Link had been in his right mind, he would have thanked the man ardently in his prayers. Without a moment for contemplation, Link used all his strength and jammed the knife into the valve. The tank exploded with such force it sent Link flying backward and left a gaping wound on his right thigh. Blood from his mouth, nose, hands, and legs seeped through his wetsuit and painted the surrounding water a ghastly red. He blindly swam through the residual clouds of dirt that sprang up from the explosion. The majority of the boulder appeared untouched. Only a small chunk was missing at its base, revealing a narrow chasm that pierced deep into the earth. That was all Link needed. In an instant, he ripped off his flippers and pulled himself head first through the tight passageway.

The tunnel was longer and darker than his memories foretold. Thick layers of mud clogged the passageway that had not been used for thousands of years. As he crawled farther, the tunnel began to dip downward. A sliver of light peeped behind a thick wall of mud and dried clay that lay in Link's path. It was just behind that wall. He knew it. His hands clawed through the earth like a shovel. His fingers bled as his nails dislodged from his fingertips. His lungs cried out inside him, begging for sustenance. He was so close. With one final push from his shoulder, Link broke through the blockade, fell through the air, and landed head first on a slick tiled floor. His entire body pulsed with agony as he lay drenched in a small pool of water and blood, but Link could hardly feel the pain between his deep, glorious breaths of air. With every labored inhalation, life slowly began to filter back through his veins.

He cracked open his eyes but remained unmoving on the floor. The room was dimly lit, revealing nothing of its nature. Nearby, Link spied a candelabra mounted on a tall, cylindrical rock. Lacking the strength to stand up, he dragged his torn up body across the rough ground. Using the rock as support, Link cautiously climbed to his feet and unzipped his wetsuit. He fumbled inside his pockets and pulled out a smashed box of underwater matches. He struck it against the stone's surface and threw it into the sconce. Link gasped. Like magic, torches began to ignite one after another, rapidly encircling the cavern in an eerie domino effect. The room seemed to go on forever as flames continued to spark in the distance. Their red glow lifted the shadowy veil that cloaked the chamber for an eternity. Stonewalls grew upward like sheer granite cliffs and disappeared into the dark. Sounds of running water could be heard echoing up from the bottom of an endless drop-off. Link stood on a relatively small platform, suspended above a waterfall that plunged deep into oblivion.

An icy chill shot up his spine. The answer to his questions lay before him. Solid, undeniable, evidence. He thought he would find comfort in the truth, but for the first time since his ordeal began, Link was afraid. His life, his mere existence was an omen, a sign of horrifying things to come. He had lost everything before. He could see into the past, but the future was as unforeseeable as ever. He was caught in a dream, and now he would never wake up. There was no escaping it. The Temple was real.

Link collapsed on the floor, physically and mentally exhausted. His frail body was barely a speck on the grand canvas of the Water Temple. Fire danced on the walls like the spirits of the ancients, mocking the Hero, reminding him of his plight. Link held his head in the palms of his hands. Blood dripped from his mouth, and he pondered how many times he had spilled it for her.


End file.
